Dozens of teens serving in the armed forces claim to have been sexually assaulted by comrades or instructors, defense chiefs have revealed.
Almost half of them followed a course at a Army school attended by school-leavers from the age of 16.
Official statistics suggest that one in ten teenage girls on the service say they have been the victim of a sexual assault.
The figures came just a year after a report by MPs accusing top military buyers of… cover up rape and abuse to protect their careers.
An investigation by the House of Commons Defense Committee, which took evidence from 4,200 people, concluded that female members of the army were abandoned by senior officers.
New figures released by ministers show 47 recruits under the age of 18 said they were raped or sexually assaulted last year.
The revelation was called “shocking and appalling” by a former military intelligence officer, who said they “demonstrated flaws in command”.
Armed Forces Minister Leo Docherty told MPs: “Of the 47 victims in those statistics, 37 were female and of those cases, one has been proven, four are still ongoing and 11 have been handed over to civilian police.”
Twenty-two of the complainants were based at the Army Foundation College in Harrogate, North Yorkshireat the time of the violation.
According to the latest figures, there were 290 girls under the age of 18 in the army during the attacks.
Colonel Philip Ingram, a former army commander and NATO planner said: “These statistics are shocking no matter how you look at them.
“They highlight the most basic flaws in the order on a number of different levels and yet it takes a parliamentary question to get the information into the public domain, supplied by the same minister who constantly says the MoD is making huge strides in tackling inappropriate behavior.
“It is clear that he is lying or being lied to in his briefings and the result is the lifelong trauma inflicted on the victims, some of whom are still children. Until the defense gains some form of independent oversight, it will continue to cover up what can only be described as horrific acts.”
A MoD spokesperson said: “Harassment or harassment has no place in the armed forces and all allegations are taken seriously and investigated by the service police.
“We continue to improve reporting mechanisms so that staff feel safe reporting issues and ensure allegations are followed up.
“This includes establishing a victim and witness support unit, ensuring that complaints of bullying, harassment or discrimination are handled outside the chain of command, and strengthening the levers available to fire someone who has committed a sex offense.”