British Army soldiers are forced into an initiation ceremony when arriving in Kenya (Picture: Marco Di Lauro/Getty Images)
Details of a horrific initiation ceremony forced upon new Army recruits have been revealed.
New British soldiers posted in Kenya are forced to have sex with prostitutes, with their seniors allegedly flipping a coin to determine whether the squaddie will be allowed to wear a condom or not.
This is supposed to prove how ‘brave’ they are.
The findings, revealed during a Mail On Sunday investigation, have concerned defence chiefs due to the high rates of HIV/Aids in the country and worries about ‘global reputational risk’.
Around 10,000 British troops are deployed to Kenya every year to carry out live firing exercises for up to eight weeks.
On their return, soldiers were quizzed on the use of prostitutes, who hang around outside the base, for a study which has been published in the British Medical Journal Military Health.
There’s a high prevalence of sex workers around the British Army base (Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
One anonymous soldier told the Ministry of Defence: ‘When this unit deploys on exercise they have an initiation ceremony for all the new soldiers who haven’t deployed to Kenya before.
‘The more senior soldiers would flip a coin – heads you could use a condom, tails you could not.’
The report, written by the Defence Medical Services, reveals that although a guide to sexual health is issued on arrival in the East African country, the number of soldiers seeking help for related diseases increased compared with UK-based troops.
It also found that a third of squaddies could not remember being given this advice.
One in 20 people in Kenya are HIV-positive – 5% – compared with 0.2% of people in the UK.
The report says the risk of catching a STD from a prostitute has the potential to ‘reduce the operational effectiveness of the unit’.
Former Army intelligence officer Philip Ingram criticised the military leadership over the incidents, saying: ‘Sexual health is a part of annual training for all service personnel.
‘To hear that soldiers are being forced into some form of sexual initiation ceremony… where HIV rates are very high, shocks me to the core.
‘It once again highlights a failure in leadership and that the culture in the Army is still fundamentally broken.’
The report warned of a growing use of prostitutes close to the British base in Nanyuki, Kenya, with some services even offered at barber shops, as revealed by a senior officer who had gone for a trim.
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‘When the haircut was complete, he was ushered towards a back room and shown a number of female sex workers,’ the report said. ‘The barber then asked if he would like any “extra services”.’
The officer told how he was shocked at how suddenly the events unfolded, and said he related the encounter to demonstrate to other soldiers the close proximity of sex workers and to advise soldiers on ‘how to politely decline any similar offers’.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: ‘All sexual activity which involves the abuse of power, including buying sex whether in the UK or abroad, is prohibited.
‘We are committed to preventing sexual exploitation in any form.’
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