After a yearlong review, a military task force has found that the services have made some progress in attacking the scourge of sexual assault in the ranks, but that too often the perpetrators go free and the victims do not get the assistance they deserve.
Among its many recommendations, the task force urges more attention to the plight of male victims, citing the tragic case of Pfc. Cody Openshaw detailed in The Virginian-Pilot in October.
Openshaw, 25, a medically discharged paratrooper from the Army's 82nd Airborne Division, died of prescription drug toxicity in 2008, six years after an alleged sexual assault by a superior. The suspect was never prosecuted, at least in part because the full story of the assault didn't emerge until after the victim's death.
Tens of thousands of service members have encountered sexual assault, surveys indicate, and more than half the victims are men. Too often, the task force found, the victims - inhibited by fear, shame, embarrassment and lack of confidence in the military justice system - fail to come forward. As a result, the crime is vastly underreported and underprosecuted.
"Culture change is essential for the military services to
improve how they prevent and address sexual assault," the Defense Task Force on Sexual Assault in the Military Services said in its report. The study was released Dec. 1, triggering a 90-day period for Defense Secretary Robert Gates to review and comment on it before sending it to Congress.
The task force visited 60 installations around the world and spoke to more than 3,500 people, including more than 60 assault victims as well as legal and investigative personnel, senior policy officials and victim advocates.
Because most victims in the general population are female, civilian sexual assault prevention and response programs are oriented primarily toward women. Similar programs have been adopted by the military without consideration of the fact that the armed forces are 85 percent male, the task force found.
"This focus on female victims in a predominantly male environment makes it all the more difficult for male sexual assault victims to seek assistance," it said.
For instance, the task force found, military hospitals in some cases are conducting follow-up exams on male victims in obstetrics/gynecology wards.
In focus groups, some participants told the task force that the military's professed policy of zero tolerance for sexual assault is often just an empty slogan.
Most personnel now receive training in sexual assault prevention and response, the task force found, but it seems only marginally effective. Some service members described it with phrases such as "death by PowerPoint." Many said the training is aimed too narrowly at women, ignoring male-on-male assault.
Ease of reporting assaults is also an issue. The services all have designated sexual assault response coordinators, but when the task force tried to contact some of them using their published phone numbers, sometimes there was no response. In other cases, the response took several hours.
The task force found that when assault victims report the crime, they are frequently dissatisfied with how they are treated during the investigative process.
Since 2005, victims have had a "restricted reporting" option, which allows them access to confidential medical care and counseling before deciding whether to make a formal complaint. But that option does not provide a truly confidential resource throughout the legal process, the task force found, recommending that victims be offered confidential communication with a trained, certified victim advocate.
The task force also recommended heightening oversight of the Defense Department's Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office by temporarily placing it under the jurisdiction of the deputy secretary of defense until it meets its established goals. In addition, it recommended reforming the budget process to overcome inconsistent funding of the program among the military services.
Those are welcome proposals, said Nancy Duff Campbell, co-president of the National Women's Law Center, but "the real question is, is the department going to begin to act on some of these?
"We're concerned about the department communicating that these are crimes and that they will be punished," she said. "People need to get the message that this activity just won't be tolerated."
Bill Sizemore, (757) 446-2276, bill.sizemore@pilotonline.com
Delicious
Digg
Reddit
Facebook
Google
Yahoo
Erosion efforts
Make no mistake, folks, there is a long-standing, concerted effort afoot amongst American progressives and their dutiful cohorts in the American media to destroy the American military by any means necessary--and in so doing--to diminish America's political, economic and cultural influence on the world stage. Whether it be through forced social experimentation, political correctness, psychological emasculation, recruitment interference, congressional de-funding mechanisms, congressional/civilian political micro-management, etc., these people are hell-bent on completing their mission. And so goes it with this article.
Wow
Off your meds today, huh? Interesting how you can use so many big words and say nothing although your paranoia does shine through. Afoot, even? Haven't seen that word posted on pilotonline in probably....never!
Rape is rape
and is not tolerated in a civilized nation, even if committed by our military. For you to turn this around as a p.c. action is reprehensible, ignorant and ridiculous.
Correct.
Indeed. Rape is rape. Wrong is wrong. But the issue is that this author frequently reports on military subjects matter of a tailored, boutique nature. Tailored for the Left, that is. Boutique meaning narrow, obscure, targeted. Ever heard of bias by story selection?
I can assure you that the majority of the Pilot's readership is more interested in the military's humanitarian good works, the enemy's inscrutability and extreme fundamentalism, and the larger war on terrorism than it is in random and unsubstantiated homosexual rape allegations.
Thankfully, most of us refuse to extrapolate from a few bad eggs.
excuse me
You are only partially correct.
Obvioulsy you aren't concerned about military rape issues, but I certaibly am, and as far as a man getting raped, well I find it very disturbing. You metion "homosexual rape". The article was not about homosecuals, and if that was your personal attemp to put down homosexuals then I see you as the problem.
God created homosexuals the same as he did even you, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels that way, so please don't go there.
No comprendo
What in the world do you mean?
I mean,
Many liberals and their Columbia-educated friends in the media absolutely loathe the U.S. military. That's the inconvenient and incontrovertible truth. Comprende ahora?
don't ask - don't tell
The acceptance of gays / lesbians under the Clinton administration is showing it's results. What ever happened to self-defense and justifiable homicide? NO member of our armed services should have to be subjected to this kind of BS!!
What?
You need to check on your facts. Most sexual assaults (and pedophilia) is committed by straight men.
Correct
More of these incidents would be reported and there would be more thorough followup if DADT were not in place and people were honest about their sexuality instead of hiding and suppressing it.
@blueneck and the gaynavy
You are incorrect with your "GAY" answer. The last time I heard, the marines led the charge with having more homosexuals in the ranks. Also, we have very easy access to woman on the ship and can probably get some alot easier there or when we hit port than those of those deployed in lets say Afghanistan or Iraq. I did a year in Afghanistan and while there was alot of woman its not all that easy to get away with it. Especially with big brother watching and all the patrols looking for people doing it. Quit posting what you think instead of what is the truth.
Correct
Percentage wise, research proves the USMC wins the award for gay service members. Interestingly enough, they also record the lowest percentage of male on male rape. Hmmmmm..........
Excuse Me !
In the dictionary a heterosexual is referred to as a straight man. How can straight men be responsible for most of the rapes?? A straight man prefers sex with the opposite gender! That would be a woman.
Perhaps
The documented facts refute your assertion. Most sexual assaults of both sexes and children are perpetrated by "straight" men. Well-documented, look it up.
When you remember
that rape is not just a sexual but also about power over the weaker then a straight man will rape another man to prove power. It really has nothing to do with repressed sexuality
straight? maybe not
Perhaps these men are bi-sexual or resort to homosexuality as some straight men who are sent to prison do. There are many repressed homosexual men who live straight lives because of the shame they feel.
gay navy
The Navy has the highest percentage of homosexuals of any miltary branch. The problem is also compounded by the fact that straight sailors spend months at a time on a ship with very limited access to women, and may resort to homosexuality as some straight men in prison do. Even though I am heterosexual, I support gay men and women openly serving in the armed forces. Sexual assault and abuse is a crime regardless of where it occurs and is not limited to the military. Those responsible should be court-martialed and punished accordingly.
Sexual Assault in the military
Good Morning,
Thank you Pilot for letting everyone know there is a huge problem regarding sexual assault of both sexes. Most people want to burry their heads in the sand regarding this problem because it doesnt make our military look good. As a retired Navy Chief I am very dissapointed in our leadership this includes male and female leadership that are not listening to our military that have either had experienced attempt of sexual assault or actual sexual assault. My friends who have come back from Iraq, Afganistan and our their ship have told me their awful experiences. None of them reported it because of fear and retribution and losing their careers. This is such a shame. These victims are not only low ranking military but include chiefs, senior chiefs and officers.
It is the little dirty secret no one wants to address. What happened to honor, courage and committment?
Dysfunction breeds violence & abuse
Serve your country, you might be killed or maimed but it'll be for a good and noble cause!
Serve your country, you might be traumatized forever from your experiences and then be ashamed to get treatment, but it's for a good and noble cause!
Serve your country, you might be sexually harassed, tortured and victimized but it's for a good and noble cause!
Serve your country! Forfeit your rights as a human being by joining the military and then watch as they destroy your self esteem, physical, mental and emotional health all in the name of "freedom."
THe military needs to start an aggressive mental health network to take care of all the people that are damaged slowly and silently by their system. And give them treatment without retaliation in the future for the suffering they've endured. Go to the V.A. hospital and see the end product.
The threat exists and Men embarssed or ashamed to admit.
The risk of sexual harassment exists in all society, but especially in a controlled environment such as the military. The military teaches team concepts and expects its members to co exist to accomplish many arduous tasks. So if a man or woman is harassed and complains not only does everyone know but it separates that individual from the team. Often insinuating they were a willing participate, or a trouble maker. Society still feels men are strong enough to fend off sexual aggression and a woman could never sexually assault a man do to his strength or desire for sex. Until we look at sexual harassment and sexual abuse as a crime of hate or power over another rather than just sex.. We will not be able to identify all the abuse hidden in controlled close net societies such as the military. The same reason the "church" has so many cases of abuse.