Defence Minister Simon Coveney has met a group of women who allege they were sexually assaulted and discriminated against whilst serving in the Irish Defence Forces.
A recent RTÉ documentary, Women of Honour, brought the allegations to light, and the women featured in the piece are seeking an independent investigation into the claims.
Mr Coveney said he will set up an independent external review to investigate allegations of sexism, bullying, sexual assault and rape within the Defence Forces.
He met with serving and retired Defence Force personnel on Tuesday, describing them as “emotional, difficult meetings, but they were shining a spotlight on something in the Defence Forces that needs to change”.
The Minister said “clearly things are not as they should be today” in the Defence Forces, adding “this isn’t simply a historic problem, it is also a current problem and we’re going to fix it”.
Retired captain Yvonne Murphy, whose story featured in the RTÉ documentary, said the women were glad their voices had been heard and thanked the nation “for standing behind us”.
“We came to the meeting just expecting to talk to the Minister, for him to hear our voice and we’re so grateful he absolutely heard our voice today,” she said.
“He has told us that our voices have given other women and men a voice to speak out and we’re just so grateful that this has been accomplished.”
Mr Coveney said: “I think the priority now for the women I met today is that we work together to put structures in place that are truly independent of the Defence Forces and Department of Defence, ” he said.
“There are credible, experienced people who can look in a fundamental way at practices and procedures and culture in the Irish Defence Forces to make sure that it is a safe and welcoming environment for everybody who wants to commit a career to the Irish Defence Forces, which is a fantastic career opportunity for people but there are issues that need to be addressed head on and believe me they will be.”
He added that the Defence Forces needs to be a place where everybody, “regardless of their background, their gender or their beliefs, can develop a career in safety and in a positive environment in the absence of bullying or harassment or intimidation”.