The Role Of Sexual Assault In The Military

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

In 2013, nearly 28,700 military members that were sexually assaulted (Cernak). Sexual assault is one of the largest issues in the United States military and it is being handled very poorly. All of the military’s time and money that is being put towards sexual assault is being used for repetitive training that is obviously not working due to the fact the numbers of sexual assaults going the wrong direction every year. Due to this training, victims know the options available to them but, they are not reporting them. Training to educate a predator that sexual assault is not going to reach the issue at its core. Everyone knows that sexual assault is horrible and repetitive scolding is not going to fix the issue. The military needs to understand the significant amount of sexual assaults and also stop putting all their effort in training about sexual assault by taking actions to prevent it such as reestablishing the role of leadership positions. People are often unsure of what sexual assault actually is. Sexual assault occurs anytime that there is not consent given for a sexual action. Dickerson gives the Deportment of Defense’s definition of sexual assault as:

The amount of sexual assaults on women in the U.S. military rests unbearably great. In a 2006 study, it showed that female veterans financed by the Department of Veterans Affairs estimated that about 23-33 percent of women have been assaulted, compared to the 17 percent of women in the general population. As well as this study a recent Pentagon report had showed that in the academic year of 2010-2011 there we 65 reported assaults that involved female cadets and midshipmen.

Abstract The purpose of this essay is to discuss the grave issue of sexual assault and sexual harassment in the Army. It explains the steps I would take as a leader in the event of a sexual assault in my squad or platoon. It discusses the resources available for the victim and possible outcomes for the victim and the accused Soldier. Finally, it describes the actions I would take if the victim was a male, or if the victim and accused were the same gender. Guidance on how to assist the victim was taken from the Sexual Harassment/Assault Response & Prevention

A recent survey commissioned by the Chief of Defence staff found that members of the military were significantly more likely than other Canadians to be violated sexually and approximately 1000 members reported being victims of sexual assault in 2016 (Statistics Canada, 2016). Therefore, the main issue is the increased risk of being sexually assaulted when joining the military, the lack of successful action by the Canadian Federal Government and the Department of National Defence (DND), and the retention of members of the force who have been accused or found guilty of sexual assault.

It starts with better training materials and videos to address prevention and response for male victims. Most of the training focus has been on females where sexual assault is perceived as sexual gratification. Sexual assault against males is not the same and are acts of violence, domination and humiliation against the member, not “acts motivated by sexual attraction.”31 Men are more likely to experience “repeated physically violent assaults” that occur in the context of hazing.32 Education is key to highlighting these differences and addressing the root cause, hazing in the workplace. Using multiple male examples, based off real life events will bring stories to the numbers. The more the military discusses male sexual assault as an act of violence and physical domination, the more we can get

experiencing harassment on a recurring basis (Pershing, 2003). The sad part is is that only 26

Events in modern society that might trigger acute and post-traumatic stress disorders could be serving in the military and being deployed, domestic abuse, rape, or a near death experience. Many soldiers come back from serving our country, after being deployed and are diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder. I cannot even being to imagine the things they have seen when in battle or the living circumstances they endured during their deployment. Some of these men and women have had to bury their closest friends, have even lost those friends, or have been injured while protecting our freedom. Domestic abuse and rape are both traumatic events that can cause physical and emotional damage that can take time to deal with and confront. While dealing

The fact that one in five college students will experience some form of sexual assault is quite startling. This calls to question, are we going to let this continue to happen or step up and do something about it? Sexual assault is sadly something common in a college setting and is on the rise. Drew Fausts, president of Harvard, made the statement “Sexual assault is intolerable and we owe it to one another to confront it openly, purposely, and effectively. This is our problem.” And he’s right, this is our problem and we need to do something about it, but what? What are solutions that can wipe out sexual assaults?

In the military, soldiers are trained to assist one another. However, most soldiers who sexually assault others are older and hold a higher ranking than their victims. Furthermore, assailants take advantage of their authority and target younger and lesser ranking soldiers. In fact, Helen Benedict author of “Why Soldiers Rape” states, “Department of Defense reports show that nearly 90 percent of rape victims in the Army are junior-ranking women, whose average age is 21, while most of the assailants are non-commissioned officers or junior men, whose average age is 28.” To combat sexual assault in 2005, the Pentagon made efforts to improve procedures for reporting

As his clammy hands brushed her inner thigh a cold breeze instantly raised the hairs on her neck. She thought to herself, “Is this the beginning? Is there more to come?” Her mind racing like she has just come out of combat (Simile). She kicks and fights until she has nothing left to fight for. Complete fear takes over. Not only did this man violate her, but he was her Commanding Officer Of The E Division Some people would say, “She has a career surrounded by testosterone filled alpha males what does she expect?” The fear of rape in the ranks alter the lives of many women within the military system. Men exploit women in the hopes of gaining power and control as well instilling fear in these women, and with the knowledge that the current system is supportive of hiding rape rather than dealing with the issue.

From the sixteen veteran women that reported to be sexually assaulted, while on active duty four reported to have reported the sexual assault to a superior officer. Two of the active military women out of the twelve that reported to have experienced some sort of sexual assault while on active duty, reported to have told a superior. Nineteen out of twenty-five veteran women reported to have known of a sexual assault against another military women occurring, while on active duty. Nine of the eighteen active member military women also reported to have known of sexual assaults that were occurring, while they were serving in the United States military. All of the military women that reported to have told a superior of them being sexually assaulted

When a man is sexually assaulted, it can often come with a lot of confusion. With sexual assault of men being so under talked about, when a man is assaulted they are not sure it was assault because they may be under the impression that men cannot be raped. For both heterosexual and homosexual men, being assaulted may cause confusion regarding their sexuality. “There is sufficient research on male victims to note that some negative attributions occur in males above and beyond those expected of victims generally. Many male victims become confused about their sexual orientation” (Walker, Archer & Davies 2005). For a heterosexual man, a sexual assault could potentially be their first time experiencing homosexual acts. In a study done by Walker,

The proposed research assess if military individuals in a position of power who have committed a sexual assault were held to a lesser standard than individuals who were not in a position of power. In addition, this research examines the perception of the military’s belief that a position has its privileges. This paper defines at least 65 percent of sexual assaults occur at a military location, with 89 percent of women stating the offender was in the military, and 60 percent of service members said the culprit was a higher rank, supervisor, or a unit leader (Morral, Gore, & Shell, 2014b, p. 101). Furthermore, this research has shown that more

Although, one concern for women being allowed to serve in a combat occupation is sexual harassment. The issue regarding sexual harassment has become more prevalent in the past decade because military personnel is having more faith in the military to investigate such accusations accordingly. Just last year, 6,131 sexual assault reports were filed with the DoD. In 2007, the number of sexual assault filings were half of what they were last year which makes the DoD believe the implications about sexual harassment they have put into place are working (Whitlock). Whitlock’s article states that an extreme amount of alcohol consumption is one of the leading causes of sexual harassment cases, but there is no specificity on whether the cases are against men or women. Sexual harassment has often been focused more on women being victims, but men can be victims of such crimes as well. That is why the military has implemented a variety of methods into the regular military training regarding sexual harassment and the repercussions of such actions.