The number of reports concerning sexual misconduct within the German Armed Forces has seen a marked increase in recent years, rising from 402 in 2023 to 416 in 2024, and further up to 469 in 2025. This data comes from a response by the Ministry of Defense to an inquiry made by the Left faction in the Bundestag.
In the previous year alone, the military logged 186 reports of sexual harassment, 15 reports of sexual assault, and 29 cases of rape. Over the last three years, a total of 91 soldiers have been discharged from duty following their actions.
These reported abuses are cited as being correlated with the continuous underrepresentation of women in the military. Women currently constitute 10.3% of professional soldiers, 15.3% of contractual soldiers (Zeitsoldaten), and 15.5% of volunteer service members. Only the Military Music Corps (23.5%) and the Medical Service (44.2%) show significantly higher proportions of female personnel.
Parliamentary State Secretary Sebastian Hartmann (SPD) noted in the government’s response that it is recognized that sexual misconduct is not always reported. To address this, the Center for Military History and Social Sciences of the Bundeswehr is currently conducting a “dark figure study” designed to reveal issues that have been incompletely or insufficiently recorded in official reporting. The findings from this study are expected in late 2026. Hartmann stressed that such misconduct not only causes individual suffering but also damages the internal fabric and undermines cohesion within the German Armed Forces.
Zada Salihovic, the spokeswoman for Bundeswehr policy of the Left faction, argued that anyone experiencing sexual harassment or sexual violence should not have to fear for their career or doubt whether they will be believed. She emphasized the critical need for independent reporting platforms, transparent procedures, and reliable protection for victims.
Separately, allegations of sexual assault originating from the Medical Regiment 1 at the Sachsen-Anhalt barracks in Weißenfels became public just this Tuesday. There are currently ten suspects in connection with these claims, and five cases have been handed over to the public prosecutor’s office in Naumburg. In one of these cases, a minor female soldier is alleged to have been forced into sexual activity.
