A confidential report supported by data compiled by the military police has revealed that members of the Australian Defence Force reportedly possessed child pornography and seduced minors, media reported Monday.
According to the report sent in May to then military chief David Hurley, over the past six years there had been more than 100 reports of aggravated sexual assaults, including rapes, carried out by military personnel, The Australian reported.
The majority of the sexual offences involved the distribution of pornography through mobile phones or the internet, as well as some cases of the seduction of minors.
The military investigators also received 102 reports of "non-assaultive sexual offences against a child" over the same period, almost all of which were dealt with by civilian police.
Military sources confirmed to The Australian that they have taken drastic measures against all those who have committed sexual abuse since 2013 following the "Jedi Council" scandal.
That scandal involved the distribution of explicit images of women without their consent which subsequently led to the expulsion of 10 soldiers.
Since July 2012 around 200 Australian military personnel, mostly from the army, have been dismissed "in relation to misconduct or unacceptable behaviour" or "in relation to civilian offences", the newspaper said.
In 2012, the Australian government commissioned a report to review the accusations of 847 people about alleged sexual abuse, harassment and other types of assaults allegedly committed at the heart of the armed forces, and apologised for these crimes.
Hundreds of children were victims of physical and sexual abuse between the years 1960 and 1984 after being recruited at the Leeuwin naval base in southwestern Australia.
