On Saturday, news was able to tell about yet another case, where harassment in the Armed Forces was reported. The notice described sexual harassment of 11 female soldiers in their initial service. Three rapes were also reported in the notice. Silje Falmår fronted the case at news. Neither Defense Chief Eirik Kristoffersen nor Army Chief Lars Lervik would answer specific questions on Saturday about the history of Silje Falmår and the other young women. The case triggered a lot of criticism, and on Sunday both appeared in Dagsrevyen. Rejects unculture The Chief of Defense will not say that there is an unculture in the Armed Forces. – The reason why I have not used that term is that I think it is too imprecise. – Why is it imprecise? First, because it describes an entire defense. The vast majority of people in the Armed Forces react like everyone else, who react with sadness and sorrow at what we hear Silje tell about. Defense chief Eirik Kristoffersen says that Silje’s case affects them. Photo: Milana Knezevic / news – Now we have heard about a dozen similar cases. Isn’t that enough to call it a cultural problem? – I agree, that it is a cultural problem. But I want to be precise, I want what this is about, which departments and what we can do about the problem to solve it. Kristoffersen says that as defense chief he cannot be familiar with stories like Falmårs. – It is my highest priority to live up to our values in the Armed Forces. This is what we are working on in the preventive track, and not least how to handle these cases in an even better way. “Girls are there to be abused” The warnings news told on Saturday were from the Rusta camp at Bardufoss. The notice included examples of comments from fellow soldiers: “Can you pull up your sweater, please, I really want to see your tits.” “Girls are meant to be abused.” “Can you open the bib so I can feel the mouse?” Two of the three reports of rape were dismissed by civil police. The third was not notified by the Norwegian Armed Forces. news has been in contact with the men who were reported for rape. They did not wish to comment on the matter. Falmår said that it was not safe for young women in the Armed Forces. – There are some who have good experiences, but it is absolutely not a given that you will be taken care of. Silje Falmår (22) chose to report both on her own behalf and on behalf of others about what she believes was bullying, sexual harassment and abuse. Photo: Øyvind Bye Skille / news The Chief of Defense has declared that there is zero tolerance for bullying and sexual harassment in the Armed Forces. – Zero tolerance is not practised. It’s just empty words – a wish, said Silje Falmår. Thanking the whistleblowers The Chief of Defense says that it is a good question why zero tolerance does not reach everyone. – We have all reacted to them. So I want to thank the whistleblowers who have come forward, because they show the seriousness of what they have experienced. At the same time, there are many who are satisfied with the initial service, says Kristoffersen. – How are you going to tell mothers and fathers that it is safe to send daughters to the primary care service? – The armed forces do a lot to ensure that it is safe, and the notification cases have shown that we have a way to go. Says that the cases are not closed In the case from Bardufoss was notified from Falmår investigated by the military police. The military police’s investigation concluded that four of the nine committed acts that qualified for a censure. But only one in four was formally reprimanded. It was justified by the fact that the soldiers had finished their service before the Armed Forces had concluded the cases. – Why weren’t the notifications taken care of? – As far as that particular case is concerned, it has not been finished. What we have done, which I would call a crossroads for the Army in the spring of 2022, is that we have put in more resources to handle alerts, tightened up the routines for informing, and we have tightened up that the decisions in the most serious cases should rest with me, says army commander Lars Lervik to news. Army Commander Lars Lervik says that they have taken several measures to deal with alerts and objectionable conditions. Photo: n650143 / n650143 – The stories of Silje and the other whistleblowers resonate deeply with me, we cannot and must not have it like this, adds Lervik. Rejected unculture The warnings news told about were from the Combat Training Battalion in the Army in 2021 and 2022. Lieutenant-Colonel Nina-Sofie Berg is the commander of the battalion. She disagreed with the young girls’ description of an uncultured person. Lieutenant Colonel Nina-Sofie Berg confirms that the management of the battalion was aware of unwanted incidents. Photo: Øyvind Bye Skille / news Berg said that she does not have the impression that Falmår has been treated worse than others in the Norwegian Armed Forces. Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram (Sp) calls the cases serious. Requests a meeting Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram (Sp) describes the treatment of Falmår as “very serious”. – I think that the reportage shows that there are several young girls who have not received the treatment they should have had, says Gram to news. The defense leadership is taking the matter seriously, is the defense minister’s impression. – Both the chief of defense and I are upset by the stories we have heard about. We have therefore initiated a number of measures to improve the situation. And I will quickly meet the soldiers’ union representatives, organizations and the defense leadership over the weekend to make sure that we have full pressure on this work, says Gram. He adds that they will consider further measures. – Is it safe for girls in the Armed Forces? – I meet many of our soldiers, both boys and girls, who give very positive feedback about their experiences from their first service. But when we hear about such matters, it is sad and unacceptable, Gram replies.
ttn-69
– It’s a cultural problem – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
