National Post (National Edition)
Tasha Kheiriddin
Unless you let them
The Canadian military, or at least its top brass, just can’t seem to stop shooting themselves in the foot. Consider the latest case of boot-in-mouth disease: when asked by CBC journalist Rosie Barton about Justice Marie Deschamps’ report into sexual misconduct, Chief of Defence Staff General Tom Lawson offered up a clumsy version of “boys-will-be-boys”: “It would be a trite answer but it’s because we are biologically wired in a certain way and there will be those who believe it is a reasonable thing to press themselves and their desires on others.”
Cue the social media outrage, and Lawson’s apology: “I apologize for my awkward characterization, in today’s CBC interview, of the issue of sexual misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces … My reference to biological attraction being a factor in sexual misconduct was by no means intended to excuse anyone from responsibility from their actions.”
Biological attraction might be a fact of life, but it doesn’t have to beget sexual violence. Both nature and nurture play a role in human behaviour: indeed, the point of civilization is to curb the expression of anti-social impulses, while encouraging positive ones to shine through. And while sexual misconduct can involve the dynamic of attraction, it is also often rooted in power imbalances, fuelled by alcohol and abetted by a military culture that denigrates one gender by equating it with weakness. If an environment encourages or tolerates violence and harassment perpetrated against women (as Deschamps found), it will likely bring out whatever base impulses exist to engage in such behaviour.
Which leaves the Department of National Defence (DND) grappling with the quixotic goal of curbing sexist behaviour in a work environment where acting “macho” is part of the job description. Deschamps’ report is a good start, but DND’s response to it has been tepid, to say the least. Accepting only two of 10 recommendations outright and adopting the others “in principle” will hardly produce the changes that are desperately needed.
With regard to setting up an independent centre where victims of sexual misconduct can seek support and advice, Lawson said: “I think what we need to do is look at what provides the proper outcome for our members. We need to look at what’s legal within our system, what’s expected of us from the government, what the chief of defence staff expects from his chain of command.” In other words, let’s bury this by studying the problem further, even though examples of such centres already exist in Australia, France and the United States.
On matters of sexual misconduct, there is no need to reinvent the wheel. DND could look to Israel, for example, which has had coed, compulsory military service for decades, and where sexual misconduct in the armed forces has also regrettably been endemic. There, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) gave its military advocate general sole authority over prosecutions, removing the need for complainants to advise their commanding officers. This removed any possibility of influence by officers
Biological attraction might be a fact of life, as Gen. Lawson
said, but it doesn’t have to beget sexual
violence
in the military justice system, and also made it easier in cases where superiors were also the accused. The IDF also offered more assistance to victims who did not want to file an official complaint, and employed military police “moles” to combat sexual harassment.
As a result of these moves, and a crackdown on sexual misconduct that began in 2012, the number of complaints has increased dramatically — not because of an escalation in offences, but because victims have felt more comfortable coming forward. They are now more confident that cases will be prosecuted, and less fearful of their impact on their career. And it wasn’t just women who reported sexual violence: the percentage of male soldiers reporting sexual harassment rose to nine per cent in 2013 from five per cent a year earlier.
The bottom line: boys will not be boys unless you let them. If DND is to curb sexual misconduct, it must create a culture where strength and competence aren’t gendered concepts.