(Ottawa) The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) face new demands to grant an exception to victims of sexual misconduct, and to colleagues in whom they confide, so that they no longer have to report an incident to their supervisor immediate.
The request is part of a list containing dozens of recommendations and included in a report released Tuesday, nearly two years after a series of consultations with survivors and officers.
The government agreed to these consultations as part of a 600 million compensation agreement with victims of sexual misconduct in the military and the Department of National Defense.
According to the report, this duty to report was “a recurring issue of concern” during the consultations. An observation that echoes previous criticisms denouncing the fact of forcing victims and their confidants to report assaults to their superior when they do not want to or do not feel ready.
The current rule also contains inconsistencies regarding “chaplains and their ability to provide confidential support to survivors”. According to the current version of the rule, only Catholic priests are exempt from this mandatory disclosure, but only if the information is revealed to them “under the seal of confession”.
While the military has consistently refused to change its stance on the duty to report misconduct, Lieutenant-General Jennie Carignan, responsible for bringing about the culture change in the CAF, has indicated that a change may well be established.