Ottawa (ANTARA) – The level of sexual harassment within the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) will increase significantly in 2022, Statistics Canada revealed on Tuesday (5/12).

According to a Survey on Sexual Harassment in the CAF 2022, released by Statistics Canada, approximately 1,960 members (3.5%) of the Regular Force reported being victims of sexual harassment in or outside the military workplace of the workplace.

This sexual harassment includes sexual assault, unwanted sexual touching and sexual activities for which the victim is incapable of giving consent.

The rate of harassment is much higher than the 1.6 percent recorded in 2018 and the 1.7 percent in 2016 when similar surveys were conducted.

Sexual harassment was more common among women (7.5 percent) than men (2.8 percent) in the Regular Force in 2022.

Sexual harassment is also more common among regular staff who are younger, Indigenous, disabled or whose sexual orientation is not heterosexual, the agency said.

“The continued prevalence of sexual harassment in our workplaces is deeply disappointing, given our continued focus on addressing it,” according to a statement released Tuesday by Canada’s Department of National Defense and the CAF.

The Canadian Department of Defense remains committed to resolving this issue.

“We believe our current approach, which focuses on root causes and draws on the lived experiences of our members, stakeholders and experts, will lead to lasting change,” the statement said.

The survey was conducted by Statistics Canada from October 2022 to January 2023, examining the experiences of CAF members during the 12-month period preceding the survey, providing up-to-date data on the scope, prevalence and nature of sexual harassment in the country. CAF.

More than 23,000 responses were collected from members of the CAF Regular Force and Primary Reserve.