Young women tell BBC of rape, assault and harassment at Army training college for teenagers
Four young women have alleged they were sexually assaulted and harassed while training at the Army Foundation College in Harrogate. The reports have prompted concerns regarding a culture of misogyny and violence within the UK's largest military training establishment for teenagers.
Why it matters
The allegations highlight systemic safeguarding failures within the British military and raise urgent questions about the protection of minors in institutional care.
Figure caption, Watch: "It went on for hours, I felt like a piece of meat" - female Harrogate recruits speak to BBC
Warning: This article contains sexual language and details of sexual assault
Four young women have told the BBC they were sexually assaulted and harassed at an army training college for teenagers - with one saying she was raped by several fellow junior soldiers in an attack that lasted hours.
The women all attended the Army Foundation College (AFC) at Harrogate, North Yorkshire, over the past five years and say the incidents happened when they were aged 17.
The college has a dangerous culture of misogyny and sexual violence, say the women, who are all speaking out for the first time.
These reports are "extremely distressing and serious", said an Army spokesperson in a statement.
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