While it is estimated that over 19,000 sexual assaults occurred in the military in 2010, a rate far higher than among civilians, the government has failed systematically to investigate complaints, appropriately punish perpetrators, and treat trauma and other health conditions suffered by survivors. The profound personal and social consequences that arise from the government's systemic failures are powerfully profiled in the new film, The Invisible War. Turning a blind eye to these crimes has allowed them to continue, imperiling the lives of victims and degrading their service.
On Friday a federal district court judge cited yet another example of the military's unwillingness to acknowledge sexual violence within its ranks. In response to Freedom of Information Act requests filed by the Service Women's Action Network and the ACLU seeking records from the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs regarding their response to sexual assault, sexual harassment, and domestic violence in the military, the Army Crime Records Center claimed it couldn't provide records about "sexual assault" because its records are organized by specific criminal offenses such as "rape," not under the general heading of "sexual assault."
"'Sexual assault' is easily read as encompassing rape and other non-consensual sexual crimes defined in the Army's offense codes," the judge found. "The fact that the agency was unwilling to read the Plaintiffs' request liberally to include such terms seems to be almost willful blindness."
The judge further ruled that several other sections of the departments failed to adequately respond to our requests and ordered the government to fulfill its obligations under FOIA. We will continue to press the government for the information we need to truly understand, address, and end the epidemic of sexual violence in the military.
It’s always easy to paint with a broad brush without actually doing the research.
Filing some document is much easier from your desk that trying to find out what is really happening.
Military sexual assault to an epidemic within the military but, there are literally thousands of people within the military working every day to reduce the number and to pursue the perpetrators from the CID special investigators to the JAG SVU prosecutors.
She didn't sleep with him so he made her life hell at work ~ in front of the SNCO who insisted on doing nothing and continued to not intercede. Eventually, the NCO & SNCO deployed to Iraq. Luckily, my friend was on a different deployment cycle so she didn't have to go with them. I'm not sure if her refusal was reflected in her proficiency & conduct marks. I do know she was afraid to go to work, because of her rank there was nothing she could do, the people who tried to help her were shut down by those above them and those that were supposed to ensure that she could serve without threat from within did the opposite of what they should've.
With as little that happens to defend service members/hold-accountable the guilty in garrison even less happens in the field. I think if she'd deployed with them something would've happened to her that was worse than she'd already experienced.