She is the main shop steward for between 5,000 and 6,000 first-time servicemen across the country, and knows everything from bullying cases to sexual harassment and abuse. – There are cases of abuse, there are not very many of them, but it happens. Røbech says this to Helgemorgen on P2 and NRK1 on Sunday. She can not go into individual cases, but says that some soldiers have experienced negative consequences after giving notice. – Specifically, we know that there has been a spread of rumors around several notification cases. It is unfortunate because it can affect the process and be perceived as unpleasant for the parties involved. Now she believes that the Armed Forces has a big clean-up job to do internally. If not, it will go beyond recruitment. – I experience that more people are shocked and surprised by what has come out, and I understand that you can become skeptical and that it can go beyond motivation, says Røbech. Believes it goes beyond the person who gives notice – The main reason why some refuse to give notice is because there is a fear that it may have consequences for further career opportunities, service statement or the relationship between fellow soldiers, says chief shop steward for conscripts in the Army, Linnea Huseby Røbech. – At the same time, it is important to point out that the vast majority thrive very well, but that does not change the importance of working preventively. Deputy Admiral Chief of the Defense Staff, Elisabeth Natvig says that she is not surprised. – It does not surprise me. Recent times have shown that there are dark numbers in relation to the fact that not everyone warns. There are several reasons for this, but there is no doubt that we must do something about both the information and the competence within the organization. – I think it is obvious that when you commit offenses of this kind, it should have consequences for employment conditions with us. And we will reconsider whether it will have consequences for the employment relationship. This is what Elisabeth Natvig, Vice Admiral and Chief of the Defense Staff, says. – It must have a consequence when you perform this type of action, says Vice Admiral and Chief of the Defense Staff, Elisabeth Natvig to Helgemorgen on NRK. Photo: Cicilie S. Andersen / NRK The background is a number of notification cases that NRK has been given access to. More than 70 notification cases against officers in the Armed Forces – many of them in the top management, show that there is a tendency for the notifications to have no consequences. Two serious cases in particular have affected the front pages of both VG and NRK. It’s about a sergeant who secretly filmed a soldier in the shower 38 times. And about a major who tried to force a sergeant major to lie to himself in a trial. – It motivates no one to notify when not even a civil judgment leads to consequences for the person being notified, but on the contrary for the person notifying. – The main reason why people refuse to notify is because you do not experience that something is happening. Many also fear that it will affect their careers in the Armed Forces, and their relationships with fellow soldiers, but also between officers and management, says chief shop steward for conscripts in the Army, Linnea Huseby Røbech to NRK. Linnea Huseby Røbech has been in the Armed Forces for a total of three years. For the past two years, she has been the main shop steward in the Army. Photo: Jenny Marie Mannsverk Acknowledges failure in handling The themes in the whistleblowing cases that NRK has read are varied and cover everything from allegations of sexual harassment and bullying, to breaches of security clearance. All are aimed at specific people in the Armed Forces. And 17 of the warnings are aimed at top officers, or what in the military rank system are called flag officers. Natvig says the Armed Forces has worked continuously to improve their notification routines, facilitate notification, but acknowledges that they have not been good at dealing with the consequences of the notifications. – I must admit that I was quite disappointed when I hear that the Armed Forces as a system does not have good enough routines to bring the information to the Armed Forces and that it has not had consequences. It was like someone wrote to me on an SMS the other day that it is almost like being back in primary school where the bully does not have any consequences. That’s not how we should be, says Natvig. She still believes that the Armed Forces does a lot to crack down on bullying and sexual harassment. That it has been followed up, but that there is obviously potential for improvement. – If we now fail to put action behind the words that we have zero tolerance, it will have consequences for our reputation. The whistleblower, the officer and the pressure to lie Believes the whistleblowing routines are too difficult There are several ways to warn in the Armed Forces today. You can go via safety representatives, line managers, or notify digitally through an app. It is a good starting point, according to Røbech, but it still lacks the following; What a warning is Who to contact What happens when you warn Røbech emphasizes that most people still thrive in service. And points out that the Armed Forces is doing a lot of good. For example, the Army will now introduce a new project called “Not my team” where soldiers will learn to give feedback to each other and talk to each other about what is okay and what is not okay. – Talking more about this type of incident will reduce bullying and sexual harassment, says Røbech.
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– Understands that one can lose the motivation to join the Armed Forces – NRK Troms and Finnmark
