Hidden in full sight: sex abuse covered up by cadet forces

04/07/2017

BBC News

BBC Panorama has uncovered evidence of repeated cover-ups of historical sex abuse in Britain’s cadet forces.

Victims have spoken for the first time of senior cadet leaders covering up complaints, and pressurising families against going to the police.

Overseen by the Ministry of Defence, the cadets is one of the UK’s largest youth bodies with 130,000 members.

The MoD has paid more than £2m to cadet abuse victims, and says it has “robust procedures in place to protect cadets”.

According to Freedom of Information requests, in the last five years 363 sexual abuse allegations – both historical and current – have been made across the UK for the Army, Air and Sea Cadets.

Some 282 cases have been referred to the police and 99 volunteers have been dismissed.

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