Defense ombudsman Roald Linaker says the Storting’s ombudsman’s committee for the Defense takes a very serious view of news’s latest revelations about harassment and abuse in the Defense. – You can isolate this to the incidents that have taken place, but in its entirety this is about how we should treat and look after our personnel, says Linaker. – If we don’t do it properly, we weaken our defensive ability. Then we won’t get the best people to be in the Armed Forces. The Defense Ombudsman is pleased that the Defense Forces themselves have ordered investigations and evaluations of how they have handled whistle-blowing cases, but that there is still a long way to go. He believes that the Armed Forces must do better at attitude-creating work, put in place a more uniform way of handling notification cases and find out if there is a need to specify authorizations. – If the political will is for the Armed Forces to be more or less free to get rid of people who misbehave or impose sanctions in other ways, there must be a clearer legal basis and clearer rules for this, says Linaker. Defense Commissioner Roald Linaker believes that these individual cases show that the Armed Forces still have a long way to go to overcome what he believes is a lack of culture. Photo: Dag Robert Johansen – We have enough leaders in the Armed Forces Linaker says they have followed, and will follow, closely how the Armed Forces work with this problem. – I think it may be going a little slowly, but we are of course assessing this work in the defense department and the Norwegian Armed Forces in general on an ongoing basis, says Linaker. – It is particularly important to us that the conscripts receive as good care as possible. The Defense Ombudsman claims that the Defense has gone too far in stretching the personnel structure, particularly in regard to the safeguarding and care of the conscripted soldiers. – We have enough leaders in the Armed Forces. There must be the right leaders, with the right capacity and important competence. Those leaders must also be those who are closest to the conscripts who are in for initial service, says Linaker. Demands ministerial response Rødt asks Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram (Sp) to answer the Storting on how the Defence’s handling of the notifications is scrutinized, what the government is doing to ensure justice for the victims and what immediate measures are being implemented. – Now we demand action so that the victims of abuse get justice, and to make the Armed Forces a safe place for women. It is urgent to strengthen the Armed Forces with more soldiers, and we will not achieve that if powerful measures are not urgently taken to put an end to harassment and abuse against women, says Rødt leader Bjørnar Moxnes. Rødt leader Bjørnar Moxnes demands action to make the Armed Forces a safe place for women. Photo: Patrick de Silva Sæther / news The shop steward arrangement in the Armed Forces requires immediate changes after new cases of sexual harassment in the Armed Forces have come to light. They require targeted and noticeable measures to ensure that it is safe to serve the primary service. In a statement, it also writes that the lack of culture in the Armed Forces must be cleaned up, and that there must be requirements for competence. Meeting the defense leadership on Tuesday Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram (Sp) will meet the defense leadership and shop stewards for employees and conscripts on Tuesday at 9 a.m. at the Oslo Militære Samfund. The meeting will be about whistle-blowing cases in the Armed Forces and challenges with sexual harassment Chief of Defense Eirik Kristoffersen tells news that he believes this is about a cultural problem, not an uncultured one. He believes the term uncultured is too imprecise. – I want to know what this is about, which departments it is and what we can do about the problem to solve it, says Kristoffersen. He says he cannot be familiar with the stories that have been told. Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram (Sp) will meet the defense leadership on Tuesday morning. Photo: Terje Pedersen / NTB – It should be safe to be in the Armed Forces Storting politician Ivar B. Prestbakmo from Trom’s Center Party is pleased that the Minister of Defense is calling both the defense leadership and union representatives for conscripts to a meeting to discuss measures. – It should be safe to be in the Armed Forces, whether you are a boy or a girl. Here it is obvious that they have neither dealt with warnings nor taken steps to prevent cases like this from happening. Storting politician Ivar B. Prestbakmo believes that the Norwegian Armed Forces have not done enough in their handling of whistleblowing cases. Photo: Jørn Inge Johansen / news He receives support from mayor Bengt-Magne Luneng (Sp) in the defense municipality of Målselv. – When Silje experienced not being believed, you don’t have things properly in place. It shouldn’t be like that. The armed forces must do the job of ensuring that things are put in order. Think you have to lie down Mayor of Evenes municipality, Terje Bartholsen (H), reacts strongly to the Norwegian Defense Forces’ handling of the case. He believes that it appears that the management downplays the importance of the whistleblowers’ stories, and is keen to tell that most of it is actually very good. – But when you hear stories like Silje’s, there is only one thing to do. It is to lie completely flat and say that we must deal with this and that it is completely unacceptable. Dot. Bartholsen believes that notification cases like this should not come as a surprise in such a large organization as the Norwegian Armed Forces. – They failed to take the soldier’s side, the one who had been harassed his side. That should be done in cases like this. The mayor of Evenes municipality, Terje Bartholsen (H), believes that it appears that the management is talking down the importance of whistleblowers’ stories Photo: Frida Brembo / Frida Brembo/news The mayor points out that soldiers who serve their conscription cannot just leave and go home if they are exposed to abuse and unacceptable behavior from others. – Then the police will come and get you back. It is an obligatory service you do for society. This means that the powerlessness becomes even greater and the experience even worse for those who are exposed to this. That makes the matter even more serious, says the Evenes mayor. Bartholsen believes that attitudes have emerged that are a societal problem. – These are things soldiers bring in, it doesn’t happen in the Armed Forces. But the Armed Forces must take the side of the harassed in a completely different way. And in any case, stop promoting those who have engaged in sexual harassment, or committed other unacceptable acts. It is an important signal to the outside world, he says.
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Strong reactions to the notification cases in the Armed Forces – news Troms and Finnmark
