Sexual Assault In The Military Analysis

Causes of Military Sexual Assault. On one hand the blame of military sexual assault is cast upon the offenders; meanwhile, on the other hand, the blame is pushed onto military heads and leaders. The military promotes an overarching characteristic of masculinity. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines masculinity as “constituting the gender that ordinarily includes most words or grammatical forms referring to males,” this definition proves that the word masculine is equivalent to being seen as manly. Within the military, “particular attitudes toward masculinity have been found to be related to heightened levels of rape propensity. Standards of masculinity that emphasize dominance, assertiveness, aggressiveness, independence, self-sufficiency, and willingness to take risks” (Morris 701). Overall the majority of military leaders and important personnel look for masculinity as the dominating trait to make a soldier and that is one of the causes of military sexual assault. With this being said, the military does not want someone who is weak; however, you will find that women are considered the “weak link” in the military. Russell Strand, of the Family Advocacy Law Enforcement Training Division claimed “Masculinity cannot be victimized, because if you are a leader, if you are a masculine person and you are victimized, then you are weak” (Strand). If a women does not demonstrate masculinity or dominance she is seen as weak and is at higher

In the past, military news typically evolved tragic training incidents or deaths during overseas combat. However, over the last several years many incidents involving military personnel and sexual assault have made headlines across the United States. Military women and men have brought to light the lack of justice for victims of sexual assault, and the prevalence of such attacks. Questions arise as to why victims do not report incidents or seek assistance when they are physically or sexually assaulted. Many reasons are due to how the system of reporting is established within the military, retaliation and further re-victimization within the chain of command. Modifications to the current system have begun within the Department of Defense and

“The most shocking cover up in the United States Military is not what you would expect (The Invisible War),” reports of sexual assaults over all branches of the military have tremendously increase every since women have been allow to take part of the military. According to the Secretary of Defense, over 500,000 male and female soldiers have suffered of sexual abuse from senior peers and commanders. During the past years, many women reported a variety of cases of sexual abuse. Sadly, the victims were only ignored, blamed and punished for the events. Sexual assaults are considered a scandalous subject which our military has decided to avoid, but by doing so, the number of rapes has increase even faster. Rape is a repetitive criminal;

Throughout history, the United States Military has faced numerous scandals. From its role in the Vietnam War, to the Iran-Contra Affair, to the Iraq War, to the abuse and denial of due process rights to detainees currently held indefinitely at the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; the Department of Defense has undeniably raised many questions about its ethics and treatment toward both civilians and fellow members of the Armed Forces alike. One recent scandal, which would now appear to be becoming the standard, is that of sexual assault within the military. However, due to a campaign of awareness, grassroots activism, and pressuring elected officials to do what is right, things are now beginning to change.

Another problem with the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy is that, if discovered, homosexuals will be discharged from the military. The discharge of a homosexual from the military, based on his personal life, is a violation of equal rights. Every human is different, but none should be judged separately based upon who they are. “We find unity in our incredible diversity, drawing on the promise enshrined in our Constitution: the notion that we are all created equal, that no matter who you are or what you look like, if you abide by the law you should be protected by it; that if you adhere to our common values you should be treated no different than anyone else” (Obama 1). This statement shows that the nation does know about equal rights and is pushing for equal rights; therefore, “don’t ask, don’t tell” needs to be repealed for the integrity of our nation.

Women have been sexually harassed and assaulted in the work force for years, and for many years, the US Army has been dealing with this enormous and overwhelming issue, through the help of their agency known as the Equal Opportunity Program (EOP). In the US Army regulation 600-20, Army Chief of Staff, General Raymond T Odierno, States the purpose, “This regulation prescribes the policies and responsibilities of command, which include the Well-being of the force, military discipline, and conduct, the Army Equal Opportunity (EO) Program, and the Army Sexual Assault Victim Program.“ For a long time, the Army’s EOP Equal Opportunity

Slated against the backdrop of personal experiences, the director adds an element of statistics. Dick pulls from an interview between himself and Dr. Kaye Whitley, the Director of Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office. In doing so he illustrates just how uneducated the military is about sexual assault. Dr. Whitely is unable to answer questions about the attacker instead she makes it clear that her data is only about what the victim can do better to “prevent” sexual assault. A recent court ruling over the case that Cioca and four other victims were involved called rape an “occupational hazard.” Meaning that rape is just a risk you run if you are a women entering the military. Around this point in the documentary the discussions that occur in the classroom about rape culture echoed in my ears. These actions are being swept under the rug and covered for by citing that sexual assault is just a part of the job. We live in a society where rape victims are often blamed and rapists are excused for

The purpose of this essay is to discuss the issue of rape and sexual assault in the military. The number of attacks for rape and sexual assault in the military are at an all-time high. Women have recently been allowed to fight on the front line. While this may be a huge achievement for women-kind, for this woman, it is a very scary thought. I am a junior at Texas Academy of Biomedical Sciences; a school geared towards students wishing to enter the medical field. I may be forced to join the military one day if a war breaks out and women are needed to protect the country. I would be happy to serve my country if I did not have to be scared of my fellow soldiers. Rape and sexual assault are major issues in the military and

gays and lesbians from the military. The strange history of DADT begins when the discharging of homosexuals became “official U.S. military policy during World War II”.

a 1988 DOD Survey of men and women in the military and found that 51.8 % of men

Whether or whether not women speak up, doesn’t change the fact that it is happening in the military. Women in general deal with the effects of sexual trauma, but military women may have to re-live it on a day to day basis. As quoted in the article, perpetrators are typically other military personnel, and victims often must continue to live and work with their assailants daily (para. 5). Because of the seriousness of MST, each VA hospital now has a designated coordinator to oversee MST screening and treatment (para. 5). The authors purpose is ultimately to study the VHA’S MST program. It provides the opportunity to investigate the screenings for sexual violence (para. 2). It is very important that women with MST are able to get some type of help, and medication for the after effects of the traumatic experiences they endured while in the

Pros and Cons of Speaking Out Against Sexual Assaults in the Military: How it Can Lead to Mental and Physical Illnesses Sexual assault and violence has been an issue for a long time, but it hasn’t always been focused on by people in order to change it. Today, we have a whole month dedicated to sexual assault awareness, but being aware of the problem isn’t the same as trying to prevent it. Military sexual assaults aren’t always reported because there are pros and cons to speaking out against them. Though, studies show that the number of reported cases has increased in recent years. In some cases it is better to notify someone of an assault so you can get help, but in other cases it may not be the best option.

Secondary school students watch their grade drop because they are harassed in the hallways and classrooms of their schools. According to the Department of Defense many of the male and female military members annually receive unfairly lowered performance evaluations when they report sexual harassment within their service. These studies are real time statistics collected by careful researchers determined to find out the facts about sexual harassment. The results of their research have been clear. Sexual harassment negatively affects every sector of American society. For this reason, calls to end sexual harassment have received the support of powerful institutional authorities. The secretary of the army has denounced sexual harassment as abhorrent to American values. The Department of Education has declared sexual harassment to be a real and serious problem in educational at all levels. The federal government and many state governments have enacted laws to fight sexual harassment. The American Psychological Association has called sexual harassment devastating, and the National Education Association has recommended educational

In the article “Women in the Military” mentions the women have been joining the military since 2000. Besides that, women who serve the military do require a lot of physical requirement because of stereotypical thinking of women being weak. Even more, some commanders want more women to participate in the use of technology. Women tried fighting this kind of idea but managed to fail; In 2003 young women named Lynch was the only survivor of an insurgent attack in Iraq, which motivated more women to join the army. Even more, women that join the army also experienced harassment and rape. After these incidents, it was decided that the military training was not going to be co-ed basic training. By doing this the pentagon announced in 2013 that they

Segal, Smith, D. Segal and Canuso (2016) argues that women’s integration is no different than the integration of African-Americans and the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT). During World War II, white soldiers who were in more contact with black soldiers were less opposed to racial integration. Likewise, the repeal of DADT was a non-issue because there was already a closed and sustained contact. In the same way, male peers would accept women in combat as shown in the interaction with Military Occupation Code (MOS) positions that allow gender integration. The CMR (2015) disputes these by asserting that unity of purpose of war and not gender diversity is what will strengthen the armed forces. Rather, racial integration strengthened the armed forces and fulfill a military