Canadian Forces have trouble tracking military sexual offence convictions
OTTAWA — While military commanders have pointed to an increase in criminal investigations as proof the fight against sexual misconduct is working, military justice officials admit they don’t know how many service members are ever actually convicted.
It’s one of a number of statistical deficiencies that military officials say they are working to address — a fix experts say is essential for instilling confidence in victims and ensuring cases are being handled properly.
Defence chief Gen. Jonathan Vance told a Senate committee last week that military police are on track to see a 22 per cent increase in the number of reported sexual offences from the previous year.
“About half of these are old cases,” Vance said. “This demonstrates to me that at least some of these victims now believe, perhaps for the first time, that we will hear them and take action.”