Talya Brown Ms. Terry October 10, 2014 AP Writing Lab The Invisible War Allegations of sexual harassment are thrown about freely in today’s society and it seems that individuals do not fully understand the gravity of the word or what it actually conveys. Daijah Wilkins, a senior this year explained that until her sophomore year she didn’t fully understand either. She was standing in the hallway when she overheard a teacher, Mrs. O’Conner, tell a couple that she felt sexually harassed by their actions. The couple, as well as Daijah couldn’t understand how that could be possible when the two were simply kissing. After the students explained to Mrs. O’Conner that sexual harassment was only possible if someone physically touched another …show more content…
Getting past the initial embarrassment of being sexually assaulted (i.e. rape) can be extremely challenging and is one of the major reasons women choose not to come forward. Coming to terms with what happened and reaching out for help feels next to impossible and shows the strength that a survivor is possesses. However, when an individual is aware of the obstacles that arise when reporting an incident they become extremely discouraged and sometimes choose not to do so. For instance, Lise Gauther a woman who served in the Canadian military for over twenty years says: I wasn’t instantly assaulted but was first harassed multiple times and so I reported the incident. The officer stated that women like me are a disgrace, ‘Joining the military to disgrace a Few Good Men’, is what he called it. I was told to woman up or ask for a transfer if I refused to look past the actions of a man just being a man. (Mercier 1) Gauther later states that once she was raped she didn’t report the incident because of the discouraging responses she received when she was only reporting being harassed. Likewise, the same problems occur in the United States military. Even though women have made tremendous advances throughout the years in the military the demeaning terminology still remains. In the early decades of women being allowed into the United States
In the training the soldiers of the United States Army receive they learn about the two types of reporting options that are available to the victims of sexual assault; the restricted reporting and the unrestricted reporting. The restricted reporting option gives the soldiers the option of seeking medical aid and counseling while not initiating a formal investigation. While this option helps the victim get the help they need it does not hold the perpetrator accountable for their actions. The unrestricted reporting on the other hand still helps the soldier get the medical treatment and counseling they may need but it initiates a formal investigation. A soldier who files a restricted report can later go back and change their report to a unrestricted and start a formal investigation but an unrestricted report can never be changed to a restricted report. The training highlights some of the behaviors that predators use so that you may know what to look out for. According to the Army there are no more passive bystanders it is everyone’s responsibility to intervene.
Throughout the world, deviant acts and social controls are committed everyday. An incredibly significant one that is often unreported is sexual assault within the military. Sexual assault is already determined as an extremely deviant act throughout the world. All acts of rape and other abusive acts should never be dismissed or ignored, but rape within the military is often not reported or recognized. If it is brought to light, the victims are generally in fear of losing their positions, rankings, homes, relationships with their spouses and families, etc…. This is not to state that men are not also victims of sexual assault, but women are much more prone and vulnerable to being attacked and harassed. I will be focusing on the female victims of military assault in this paper.
Many believed that there was no reason to report an abuse because the police or authorities would not believe them. However, they did not believe many until proven truthful, anyone can say someone sexually assaulted them, but they did not. This was to take precautions amongst both the victim and the accused perpetrator. In the article, there were many aspects that explained that the woman felt more victimized because of the courts decision to believe the abuser until proved he/she is guilt. Also, many children blamed themselves for the rape, so they would not tell their parents. To add, as we read throughout the article, we can distinguish that many abused individuals are scared and embarrassed about the sexual harassment. Many factors were brought to attention: youth and woman fell under the micro-level individual factors, and the community and police did not want to really intervene. These factors result in many victims maybe later on abusing others because they were abused, which should not happen. So, therefore, there was a lot of valuable information presented throughout this
In 1996, the United States Army investigated and substantiated allegations that uniformed instructors at Aberdeen Proving Ground had sexually assaulted and raped female trainees under their charge. In 2003, the United States Air Force Academy substantiated claims of rape and sexual assault conducted by and against students at the Academy. In 2012, an investigative documentary entitled The Invisible War, chronicled the problem of sexual assault and harassment within the U.S. Military. The documentary sparked rage at the military’s handling of sexual assault cases, victims, and alleged assailants. The film portrayed the military as an environment in which 20% of servicewomen are a victim sexual assault: a culture that protects the alleged assailant and condemns the victim. The investigations mentioned above were not the “one of a kind” event that characterized “Tailhook.”
More than a decade after rape or physical assault during military service, women reported severely decreased health-related quality of life, with limitations of physical and emotional health, educational and financial attainment, and severe, recurrent problems with work and social activities.” (Para 4.) The article talks about the frequency of women getting raped or sexually assaulted, and the injuries that these women face physically and emotionally, even years after the incident occurs. In this particular study, a “Cohort of women veterans who served in the Vietnam, post-Vietnam, or Persian Gulf War era was selected.” (Para 9.) Around six hundred women participated in this study, and “Almost half the participants (48%) reported some type of physical or sexual victimization during their military service. Physical assault was reported by 35%, and most (58%) had been assaulted at least twice. Rape was reported by 30%, in 11% it was attempted and in 19% completed.” The seriousness of these situations recurring should not go
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
In Women in the Military, Janette Mance explores the debates and problems faced by the increasing number of women involved in the military. After examining issues such as pregnancy, sexual harassment, and rape, Mance concludes that as a society we must continue to strive for gender equality.
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
“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;
For years women have been trying to gain gender equality throughout the working world, along with in the military. Since the beginning of a uniformed military, women could not serve in military occupational specialty (MOS) positions that put them in direct combat roles. Although many women have contributed in significant ways, they have not been authorized to serve in MOS such as infantry, artillery, or armor. As the war on terrorism has developed since 9/11, women have slowly worked their way farther into the military and its many roles. This resulted in women being placed into direct combat roles. Though women have been allowed into many different roles, there is still one battle that they have yet to win and this time the majority is not backing them. Women are trying to gain access to United States Special Operations units in every branch of the military and the majority of these operators are not happy about it. While some people believe women deserve equality and the chance to do what men can do in the military, that is why women should not be
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.
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
Before the times of the uprising of #MeToo, it is estimated that 84 percent of rape victims did not report their victimization to police. According to The Bureau of Justice Statistics, from 2005 to 2010, the percentage of victimizations that went unreported due to the belief that the police would not or could not help increased from 7 to 20 percent,
Women have been serving honorably in the military for centuries; yet, the some of the stereotypes still
Many victims refuse to report or seek help after a rape because they are scared of what their family, friends, or society will think of them. Often time’s victims who do seek help end up enduring a “second assault” in which they are blamed or no one believes them. Reports show that one-third to two-thirds of victims receive negative reactions after seeking help, which in turn can have a negative mental and physical health effects on the victim (Ullman Sarah). Society, friends and family members all play a big role in rape culture. The way society perceives rape causes us to question the victim. When a victim reports that they have been raped there are times were the victim is asked,