Sexual Assault In The Military

In more than just the examples given in the documentary, reporting a sexual assault seems almost baffling in terms of procedure, both in military life and in civilian. It is a difficult enough prosses for a man or women to endure in civilian life. Just noting what I have witnessed in my time here at Georgia Southern University, it is a long, horrifying, and complex means to achieve justice, and even then, it is certainly not guaranteed. Even at the conclusion of this class, it is still difficult to grasp the blatant disregard for an entire section of the armed forces. The ones who are willing to make the huge personal sacrifices to serve their own country, when that same courtesy would never be reciprocated. As stated multiple times in The

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

There are two theories that I have applied to this deviant act. The Feminist theory and the Labeling theory both have attributes that are applied to sexual assault within the military. The Feminist theory focuses on the equality between men and women, and the labeling theory discusses the stigma of giving titles to those due to certain appearances, actions, etc… I have also found some solutions that could aid in bringing light and helping victims be more comfortable with reporting attacks. These solutions would involve creating safe zones within the military base for victims, although the entire base should feel safe for soldiers, but due to the issue then a space should be provided for those who are on

Military Sexual Trauma (MST), includes any sexual activity where you were involved against your will. When assessing a service member for MST it is important to use a biopsychosocial approach. Some biological or physical responses to MST may include, sexual difficulties, chronic pain, weight or eating problems or gastrointestinal problem. Psychologically, as a result of the MST service members may have PTSD or depression. They may also experience strong emotions, difficulties with memories, feeling of numbness, or trouble sleeping due to nightmares. Socially, service members may experience difficulties in their relationships. As a result of all of these symptoms, as service member may have problems with alcohol or drugs to cope with the emotions or memories they may have regarding the incident.

The way we interact with each other in our Army culture impacts the way we perceive behavior in relation to sexual assault and harassment. For instance, a culture that allows discriminating jokes or demeaning behavior helps to perpetuate an environment in which sexual assaults and harassment occur. Also, a Command that fails to punish or can be perceived to fail to punish perpetrators of sexual assault can further perpetuate a harmful environment and degrade unit morale and mission readiness. When you walk away from a deficiency, you have created a new standard.

“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;

In “The Invisible War,” it is noted that “women who have been raped in the military have a PTSD rate higher than men who have been in combat” (The Invisible War, 2012). The impact that military sexual assault has on victims is tremendous. Both physical and mental trauma are common, and they play a significant role in how victims of sexual assault are able to return to their daily lives.

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

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

US Armed Forces is historically an organization lead by men, for men. It is comprised of about 14.5 % female and 85.5% male according to a 2011poll (CNN U.S, Jan 2014). In an organization with a rich history and legacy of obedience and restraint, it is hard to imagine the secret society of “The good ol boys”. It has been acceptable for men to “work hard, play hard”. We have all seen the movies where the men come back from overseas, invade the bars, have a good time, take a girl home, and it is acceptable behavior. What happens after they leave the bar? What happens when she says no? In November of 2013, there were 3,553 reported sexual assault cases (ABC News, 2013).

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

Sexual harassment and sexual assault are serious offenses that should not happen in our military. As leaders we have resources available to guide us in the right direction to handle these sensitive situations. We have to ensure that we protect the victim from reprisal and the accused, and we must treat every Soldier the same, regardless of

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

The military has become the epicenter for rape and abuse of women, all of which military officials have swept aside with all too little concern. Case after case of rape and sexual harassment are dismissed with little to no investigation made. The women of the military live scared of their male superiors and colleagues, and what they might do. Victims of sexual harassment or rape often see their pursuers honorably discharged and returned to society with no criminal record.