SERVICEWOMEN AS WHISTLEBLOWERS: CANADIAN SERVICEWOMEN AND THE REVELATIONS OF MILITARY SEXUAL VIOLENCE

Authors

  • claire Cookson-hills

Abstract

This article documents the history of revelations of sexual misconduct within the military, and places that history in the paradoxical context of the responses of Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC). Starting in 1998 with the Maclean’s reporting, servicewomen have publicly shared their personal experiences of military sexual trauma. The history of these revelations has been written by journalists in conversation with servicewomen. Journalists have been supportive and ham-handed advocates of justice for survivors of military sexual violence. By contrast, both CAF and VAC have been reactionary in their responses to military sexual violence. Such focus on sexual violence stands in contrast to how servicewomen place the violence in the wider context of their career. After 2015, servicewomen have taken steps to advocate, organize, write their own stories publicly, and thereby put pressure on the Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs to change.

Author Biography

claire Cookson-hills

Claire Cookson-Hills is a professional historian, who lives and works in Canberra, Australia. She holds graduate degrees (MA, PhD) from Queen’s University. She has published articles and book chapters on imperial engineering, military education, and military sexual violence. Cookson-Hills is currently an adjunct professor with Red Deer Polytechnic. She researches modern military history of gender and sexual violence

Cookson-Hills Abstract:

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Published

2023-12-21

Issue

Section

indigenous women in the military