Over 60% of women in the Bundeswehr report sexual harassment

Publication of study results

On 11 November, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius will present the results of an anonymous study on sexualised behaviour in the armed forces to the public. Preliminary data indicates that over 60% of the women who participated in this study reported experiencing sexual harassment during their service.

The survey was initiated by the Bundeswehr Centre for Military History and Social Sciences, based in Potsdam.

Types of violations and reasons for silence

Nearly 40% of female survey participants stated that they had encountered indecent expressions and comments of a sexual nature. Around 15% reported the distribution of photographs taken without their consent or altered using artificial intelligence.

Over 8% of respondents reported physical assaults, while a further 2% reported sexual violence.

Meanwhile, more than a third of those surveyed admitted that they would not file complaints with superiors due to a lack of trust in the command.

Methodology and sample limitations

25,000 current and former servicemen were invited to participate in the study. However, only slightly more than 17% of those invited completed the questionnaires. Among the respondents were over 4,000 women.

Researchers emphasise that the results obtained reflect the experiences of the survey participants, but cannot be automatically extrapolated to the entire female contingent of the German armed forces.

Incident statistics and new protection mechanisms

The issue of sexualised violations in the German army has previously attracted government attention. According to an investigation by NDR and WDR, nearly 2,000 reports of similar incidents were registered at the German Ministry of Defence between 2021 and 2025.

From 1 November 2026, a 24/7 independent HELP hotline will be operational for servicemen. It will allow them to receive counselling and report cases of harassment without directly approaching their commander.

Planned changes to the prevention system

Boris Pistorius intends to make harassment prevention a mandatory component of military training. In addition, commanders' reactions to such incidents are planned to be taken into account when evaluating their professional performance.

The German authorities also plan to regularly conduct similar studies to monitor the situation and strengthen the protection of female servicemen.