Survivor of sexual violence in forces to help veterans
An RAF veteran who revealed she was raped by a colleague on a tour of duty in Iraq has been enlisted to help other traumatised veterans. Former intelligence analyst Helen Bolland waived her anonymity to speak to The Sunday Post and accuse the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of ignoring the escalating issue of military sexual trauma.
Combat Stress, a charity for veterans’ mental health, has asked her to bolster their efforts to help marginalised veterans. She said superiors offered no support following the attack, which inflicted mental trauma and ended her military career.
Bolland, 41, from Erskine, said: “I am campaigning for MST (military sexual trauma) to be accepted by the government. It gives me a sense of purpose which I have missed since being medically discharged. I am now really looking forward to working with Combat Stress to help former service personnel.”
In August, Bolland told how she felt the MoD was ignoring the growing scandal of MST, and demanded action.
The news came as an investigation by MPs exposed a litany of misogyny and sexual violence in the forces, with survivors taking years to heal from the psychological impact while enduring related conditions such as posttraumatic stress disorder and depression.
Last year, Combat Stress research revealed UK servicewomen who suffered sexual trauma were twice as likely to develop post-traumatic stress disorder. One in five women reported sexual harassment and one in 20 sexual assault in the military.
Bolland previously said it had taken years for her to reclaim her life and restore her mental health. She said: “I now wear my rape with pride. I am a survivor not a victim. I survived it.
“My medical discharge didn’t provide the cure I thought it would. After all I had been told there was nothing wrong with me, so, spat out on to civvy street, I fought with all my might to stay afloat but eventually I drowned.
“It has taken years of fighting to get my service medical pension, to get the right diagnosis, treatments, housing, some compensation, state benefits, and to see light at the end of a very long tunnel. I am still fighting to get treatment for my chronic health conditions which are directly attributed to my service.”
A team from Oxford University, King’s College London and Combat Stress surveyed 750 women veterans and found 22.5% had suffered sexual harassment, 5.1% had suffered sexual assault, 22.7% were victims of emotional bullying and 3.3% had been physically assaulted.
Jane Menzies, deputy director of operations at Combat Stress, said: “We are the UK experts in delivering care and treatment for military trauma.
“While we treat all veterans with complex mental health problems, we know that women, members of ethnic minority groups and veterans in the LGBQTI+ community are at increased risk of marginalisation so it is important we hear from veterans in those communities.”
The MoD said: “Sexual assault or harassment has no place in the Armed Forces and all allegations are taken seriously and investigated by service police. We continue to improve reporting mechanisms so personnel feel safe in raising issues and confident allegations will be acted on.
“This includes creating a victim and witness care unit, ensuring complaints of bullying, harassment or discrimination are dealt with by outside the chain of command, and strengthening the levers available to discharge someone who has committed a sexual offence.”