1 in 6 female IDF soldiers sexually harassed during army service - study

Biennial survey based on indirect questioning finds that actual rate of abuse likely much higher

One in six female Israel Defense Forces soldiers was sexually harassed during their military service, a study published Sunday by the army found.

The results of the internal survey revealed that just under 16 percent of women currently serving in the IDF said they had been harassed at least once during their mandatory two-year service. Of those, some 7% said they had been harassed once, 6% said they had been harassed two or three times, and 3% said they had been harassed more than four times.

The figures in the biennial survey carried out in 2016 are slightly lower than the results of the same survey in 2014. In 2016, 15.6% women said they had been sexually harassed, compared with 16.5% in 2014.

However, when women soldiers were asked indirectly about sexual harassment, the survey found the rate may be much higher than the number of reported incidents.

Asked about the atmosphere on their base, 60% said that there is a climate of sexual harassment. That was slightly less than the 65% who reported such a climate in 2014.

The IDF responded to the findings of the survey by saying, “There is a wide gap between direct reporting and indirect reporting of exposure to harassment.” In the past the army has explained this gap as stemming from a lack of education for women as to the definition of harassment.

The study was carried out by office of the chief of staff’s adviser on gender issues, and questioned thousands of women in a variety of roles, from new recruits to senior officers.

The survey comes as the army is trying to further integrate women into combat roles.