Women of Honour group rejects ‘shameful’ Defence Forces review

A group alleging bullying, misogyny and violence within the Irish armed forces has said it is “deeply disillusioned” following a meeting with the Minister for Defence.

It comes as the Government announced that it will establish a judge-led independent review to look at issues related to sexual misconduct, bullying, harassment and discrimination in the Defence Forces.

Allegations of sexism, bullying, sexual assault and rape in the Defence Forces were uncovered in an RTE documentary last year.

However, such an approach was rejected in the strongest terms by the Women of Honour group, the members of which walked out early from a meeting with Simon Coveney on Tuesday.

The group heavily criticised Mr Coveney personally and said that the attitude of the Department was more disappointing “after all the Government’s talk about protecting citizens and women in the wake of Ashling Murphy”.

“The minister still refuses to commit to a statutory inquiry, instead he is insisting on proposing a weak administrative review,” the group said in a statement.

“Our resumed meeting today, which was adjourned from December 16 so the minister could reflect further, was a waste of our time. We walked out after an hour as the minister said he was not prepared to change his position.”

The group said it wants to engage with Taoiseach Micheal Martin instead.

It said: “As a group, we will not participate in the minister’s review as it is pointless and shameful. In effect, he is proposing a review that would see his own department review itself, progressing in a manner that would heavily bias any process before it even begins.”

In the statement, the Women of Honour group is heavily critical of Mr Coveney.

“Our experience with Minister Coveney initially started well when he appeared like us to believe in a statutory inquiry-type investigation. We do not know why he has changed his mind as the minister is now saying that the review will involve no investigative process, no statutory basis and no true independence with the setting of the terms of reference and appointment of the review panel ultimately decided by his department,” the group said.

It claims that the the terms of reference are a “clear conflict of interest by his department”.

The group also called for the Government to “overrule him again and opt for a statutory investigation rather than kicking the can down the road yet again”.

It added: “The circumstances of Women of Honour and countless other serving and former members of the Defence Forces involve issues surrounding dignity in the workplace, bullying, harassment, discrimination, assault, sexual harassment and sexual assault.

“These issues require a legal process.

“Through our collective experiences we have significant and justifiable trust issues. This trust has been eroded yet again by Minister Coveney’s attempts to lead us away from an inquiry.”

The group argue that an independent inquiry is needed to avoid any conflict of interest and accused Mr Coveney of attempting to “overpower and out-wit us by sitting on his hands, dragging the talks out for months”.

The Department of Defence confirmed following the meeting that a judge-led independent review will now begin.

The Department has said the review will be undertaken by “external and unbiased experts in the field” with a membership that is “totally independent”.

Mr Coveney said in a statement: “I have been very clear in my determination to address these matters without delay.”

He said he had engaged with various groups and “these engagements have brought serious issues to my attention and I have considered very carefully the respective views”.

The minister added: “It is absolutely critical that I proceed with this review to ensure that the workplace is safe for all serving members. In this endeavour, I believe I have the wholehearted support of serving personnel.”

According to the Department, the review will advise whether current legislation, policies and procedures are effective at preventing “incidents of unacceptable behaviour in the workplace”.

It will include a review of the culture within the Defence Forces, before providing recommendations to the minister.

The department said an interim report will be submitted to Mr Coveney within six months, with a final report expected within nine months.

Retired judge Bronagh O’Hanlon will chair the review group.

Mr Coveney said that he was “very grateful” for the courage of women who have shared their experiences.

He added: “These historical cases are complex, particularly in relation to cases of alleged sexual misconduct. I have additionally liaised with the Attorney General and taken advice from the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre on these matters.

“I wish to state categorically that these cases are not being ignored but careful consideration on how best to address these allegations is required.

“The Terms of Reference of this Review provide that both former and serving members may share their experiences with the Independent Review Group who may then determine if a further body of work is required in relation to specific allegations.”

That process was rubbished by the Women of Honour group.

The group described it as “nothing more than a box-ticking exercise for the sole purpose of fulfilling the public relations requirements of being seen to make some efforts toward acknowledging and reacting to the failings within the Defence Forces and wider systems whilst never actually uncovering the truth”.

“Such a process would be grossly unfair and far too reflective of past failures.

“We cannot support this and will not participate in a charade of a flawed process,” they added.