Minister demands zero tolerance for harassment in Finland’s armed forces

Defence Minister Antti Häkkänen has discussed harassment cases in Finland’s armed forces with its leadership, Yle reported. He said every case must be addressed and that men have a responsibility to behave sensibly and responsibly in the workplace.

Häkkänen spoke to the media at the opening of a national defence course. Yle reported on Sunday that women who had served in the armed forces described harassment, bullying and objectifying behaviour by superiors who failed to intervene. The women interviewed by Yle were non-commissioned officers.

Some women said they had been told to wear revealing clothing, subjected to unwanted advances, questioned about having children or bullied with terms relating to their gender. They said they had felt unable to intervene or found it difficult to report the cases further.

“I take an extremely serious view of this. No case of harassment is acceptable,” Häkkänen said.

He said responsibility for intervening lies with every leader, from the commander of the armed forces to an individual squad leader. The armed forces must address cases through both guidelines and supervision, he said.

“Sweeping even one case of misconduct or harassment under the rug is a major mistake,” Häkkänen said.

He also stressed that every individual, and every man in cases of harassment against women, is responsible for behaving sensibly and responsibly at work.

Rami Saari, head of personnel at the armed forces, said in Yle’s article that he recognised a “macho culture” in which women were not treated appropriately at work. He said the armed forces must change that culture.

People applying to serve must not have any doubts that cases will be addressed, Häkkänen said.

Statistics published by the armed forces indicate that gender-based harassment is about as common there as elsewhere. Häkkänen said this was not enough, stressing that equal treatment was critically important to Finland’s national defence among career personnel as well as conscripts and reservists.