Lawmakers To Introduce Bill To Expand Legal Rights, Protections To Military Victims Of Sexual Assault

WASHINGTON -- Lawmakers will introduce a bipartisan bill Wednesday that for the first time would provide expanded legal rights and protections for service members who have been the victims of sexual assault while serving in the military.

The Defense STRONG (Sexual Trauma Response, Oversight and Good Governance) Act comes at a time when the Pentagon is being sued for turning a blind eye -- or not doing enough -- to combat sexual misconduct in the military.

A growing number of women soldiers are returning home as victims of sexual trauma inflicted on them by their own comrades in arms. Recent studies reveal that as many as one in three women leaving military service report they have experienced some form of military sexual trauma, or MST. But the Pentagon estimates that as few as 13.5 percent of sexual assaults are reported. And while 40 percent of sexual assault allegations in the civilian world are prosecuted, just 8 percent of similar allegations are brought to justice in the military.

The legislation, co-sponsored by Rep. Niki Tsongas (D-Mass.) and Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio), would provide victims with the right to legal counsel and the right to transfer to another base. It also would allow them to maintain confidentiality when speaking with victim advocates. In addition, the bill would mandate increased training on sexual assault prevention for troops.

Advocates for women in the military have applauded the legislation, but its fate remains uncertain in a Republican-dominated House consumed with the fight over the federal budget.

“Military rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment are at a crisis point, posing a significant threat to military personnel, mission readiness and national security,” said Anu Bhagwati, a former Marine captain who heads SWAN, the Service Women’s Action Network. “Despite decades of trying, the military has failed to implement policies to protect service members or to defend the basic rights of survivors. With 19,000 service members assaulted last year, there is an immediate need for this crucial legislation,” she said.

Comments

[Katie Patterson]

08:54 PM on 04/17/2011

Bull crap! In 2005 when I was raped and molested, the military said I had a pre-existing personality disorder and discharged me! They didn't care! The one place, I thought I would be protected, I was thrown aside. No one to help me, instead they kick me out of the only job that i knew! I had wanted to serve for 20 years, not less than 2. I still hurt from those days... how people in my unit told me that if I couldn't handle being raped, then I didn't deserve to serve for my country. But, I would join again tomorrow, if they would let me. Work a desk job, as my legs wouldn't allow me to be depolyable.

[ruthtruth]

09:52 AM on 04/13/2011

IT'S ABOUT TIME ! What in the world took them so long ?

[hopeisalive]

08:16 AM on 04/13/2011

Back in the 40'a the fear was that these kinds of things would happen if men and women were put into combined millitary units. I'm not sure if Israel has the same problem as all of their young adults must serve two years and their units are combined. What must take place, though, is protection of the victim and their rights. This seems to be what the law is about and that's good.

[enhancedvibes]

01:05 PM on 04/14/2011

Incidents of sexual assault in the Israeli army do occur, but it is not a problem for them. I have relations that have served. Anyway, the Israeli army is significantly more sophisticated in its training than our military is.

[argyle]

06:23 AM on 04/13/2011

It is an unavoidable biological fact that if you give males this kind of authority over females a certain percentage will use it to mate with them.

[enhancedvibes]

05:00 PM on 04/14/2011

That is NOT an unavoidable biological fact. There is no biology that compels men to procreate. That is all due to socialization. Anyway you are talking ab out evolutionary psychology of which there is no science behind.

[Uhgg]

06:12 AM on 04/13/2011

I am not denying sexual assault does not happen in the military, it does. But the military has classes and programs to educate its soldiers on the problem and it investigates the situations, but congress also needs to put in this bill repercussions against false claims of sexual assault/harassment also

[kareemachan]

10:19 AM on 04/13/2011

Their classes and programs must be pretty damned cr@ppy if one out of three women in the military has experienced sexual trauma.

[Uhgg]

03:12 PM on 04/13/2011

False stats

[enhancedvibes]

01:08 PM on 04/14/2011

No they dont. Have you even read any of the accounts of the people claiming sexual assault? They hardly get reported, much less investigated and there is little to no training on the issue other than maybe some cursory overview of it during boot camp. The US military is a top down establishment that discourages the rank and file from asserting their rights.

[Vgman]

05:47 AM on 04/13/2011

This seems like it should be a no brainer. Training to avoid any harassment should be put into place, harassment should not be tolerated, and if harassment takes place and is reported then it needs to be investigated.

[tripboi]

05:13 AM on 04/13/2011

Logic would say all sexual assault is evil and illegal no matter who you work for or who you are. Unless I'm mistaken these politicians are making a big show how broke we are? How much $ is this dog and poney show costing. hummmm...

[Roxee]

02:49 AM on 04/13/2011

Disgusting that American men think so little of their fellow female citizens.

[RagingHawk]

08:54 AM on 04/13/2011

So is it all American men that think this way? And only American man? I recommend avoiding such gross, broad generalizations.

It is a "small" man (not physically, but in the mental, spiritual, emotional sense) that commits violence against women, and this issue is clearly not exclusive to Americans, as you imply.

[armyvet09]

12:37 PM on 04/13/2011

But the issue of the way the military handles sexual violence is a military issue.

[enhancedvibes]

01:11 PM on 04/14/2011

Yes, American men allow rapes and sexual assaults to happen. By men not speaking out to other men and/or teaching our young men that inappropriate and unwanted touching is wrong, coupled with the barrages of images males see every day reducing a woman to sexual body parts and the pervasive of porn (everywhere) we foster a society of young and adult men who think they are entitled to comment on the bodies of women, touch them, force sexual touch on them and more.

Rape and sexual assault will cease to occur when men stop raping and sexually assaulting women.

Please dont respond with rape myth lies, thanks.

[Motorgoon]

01:46 AM on 04/13/2011

Nerds Revenge! Ok, so Zuckerberg has more money than god. Why cant he just hire croanies like the old airline ceo's like Wolfe and Lorenzo did and get these people gone to a tropical island here theres no facebook?

[MMRDO]

07:29 AM on 04/13/2011

Some may have "thought: that, but since so few of us actually use our weapons off the firing range. That and it is impossible to be a "murders" and its even hard to "encarcitate" murders.

[Pamela Faith Muench]

12:37 AM on 04/13/2011

There are some very uncivilized people in the military.

[rbchilds]

07:14 AM on 04/13/2011

Swap military with world.

[RagingHawk]

08:59 AM on 04/13/2011

... and in the civilian world. Luckily, the military at least makes some attempts at education their servicemen about harrassment and violence against women. I doubt all civilian employers take similar measures to educate their employees.

[enhancedvibes]

01:12 PM on 04/14/2011

"the military at least makes some attempts at education their servicemen about harrassmen­t and violence against women."

Where do you get this? Why do you think this is true? The fact is that if they receive some cursory education during boot camp, its long forgotten once deployed (where these guys feel SAFE in assaulting fellow female soldiers) and our soldiers should be held to a higher standard.

[rotorhead1871]

12:10 AM on 04/13/2011

about frikkin time...and it better be a heck of a law...

[KIVPossum]

10:20 PM on 04/12/2011

Excellent. This is a bi-partisam bill, so has a good chance of passing.

[AbstractImp]

10:14 PM on 04/12/2011

The Pro-Military Lobby is a disgrace when it comes to the human cost of war.

[RedBall24]

08:58 PM on 04/12/2011

This is downright stupid. Our military is now just another social employment agency. The military is a BLUNT HAMMER and should only be used in self defense at the last resort. Since we have nuclear weapons our military could have 10% of it’s current budget. And we don’t need masses of troops for make invasions. We need only our male special forces.

[rotorhead1871]

12:11 AM on 04/13/2011

dude....its not 1962 anymore.....

[enhancedvibes]

01:13 PM on 04/14/2011

Without female soldiers and other enlisted grunts there would be no specialists to supply "male special forces." Get a clue please.