AUSTRALIA—The U.S, military is not the only massive government institution under investigation for widespread sex abuse. A recent revelation that a group of soldiers from the Australian Defense Forces has been filming and sharing videos depicting explicit sex with women who had no idea they were being filmed is causing a big to-do Down Under.
Police sources told Fairfax Media that a ring of soldiers calling themselves “The Jedi Council” swapped footage [via email] of sex acts without the knowledge of the women depicted,” reported the Brisbane Times. “At least 17 soldiers—including senior officers—were involved in receiving and distributing the footage, and it is understood three members of the ring shot the footage, starting in 2010.”
The outer ring of implicated soldiers is much larger than the 17, however. While 14 army members have been “closely linked” to the scandal, with five of them facing imminent suspension, Chief of the Army Major-General David Morrison conceded Thursday that as many as “90 other Australian Defense Force members, mostly in the army, were on ‘the periphery’ of the affair.” He added that at least five women—and possible more—were victims of the coordinated scheme.
“They included female soldiers, public servants and others,” the Times added.
The article continues, “The email ring included a lieutenant-colonel—the sixth-highest rank in the army—as well as majors, captains, warrant officers, sergeants and corporals. They were based around Australia and did not belong to any one area of the force, he said.
“The three ringleaders are being investigated by NSW police for possible offences relating to producing and distributing the material on the internet. The wider ring of soldiers are being questioned by the Australian Defense Force Investigative Service.”
General Morrison, who called the incident a reflection of “systemic” problems and rejected outright “the ‘bad apple’ argument,” has received praise from Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick for facing the problem directly and “not just trying to explain it away.”
She added, however, that the army has the lowest female representation of the three Australian defense services (approximately 12 percent), and is sorely in need of more mid-ranking and senior role models.
