Sexual Violence, Humiliation, and Abuse: A Major Scandal at a British Military College

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) [published](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3w07p7wqv1o) an investigation into the situation at the Army Foundation College (AFC) in Harrogate — the largest training center for servicemen under 19 years old. Journalists spoke with four girls who had been training there over the past five years. At the time of the events described, they were all 17 years old. All recruits who join the military at the age of 16 enter the college. Currently, 889 cadets are undergoing training here, of which about 70 are girls. One former cadet recounted that she was subjected to gang rape by other recruits for several hours. She reported the incident to the police, but no criminal proceedings were initiated. According to the police, from June last year to June this year, 16 reports of sexual offenses related to the college were registered. The mother of another girl told the BBC that her daughter faced sexual harassment almost daily. She stated that the door lock in her daughter's room was broken, so at night she pushed her bed against the door, fearing unwanted visits from men. Another former student spoke about the sexist behavior of instructors. According to her, teachers judged girls based on their appearance and entered their rooms without knocking when the cadets were changing. The girl who experienced the rape claims that after the incident, one of the instructors called her a "slut who slept with all the guys," which, in her opinion, only encouraged an atmosphere of sexism and humiliation. The problem is systemic. According to data from the UK Ministry of Defence, from January 2018 to June 2025, 276 complaints of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior were registered at the college. Of these, 32 concerned staff members, while 144 involved other underage cadets. A representative of the British Army described such cases as "unacceptable and criminal" and emphasized that such actions have no place in the armed forces. The military urged all victims to report such incidents and reminded that new support measures for victims have been introduced in recent years, including independent legal assistance outside the military command system. The BBC investigation has once again raised questions about the safety of underage recruits and the effectiveness of protection mechanisms in one of the UK's main military educational institutions.