Sexual harassment & assault in the military

Comprehensive statistics on incidents of sexual assault and harassment in all branches of the military are unavailable due to the Department of Defense's failure to implement a military-wide system of data collection on reports of such incidents.  However, we do know that it is a prevalent and devastating problem.  It is important to keep this in mind when talking to young women who are interested in joining the military.  Here are a few articles:

For Female Soldiers, Sexual Assault Remains a Danger
By Celina R. De Leon
AlterNet.org
January 5, 2007
According to the Pentagon, there were 2,374 reported cases of sexual assault against women in uniform over the past year. But as the saga of military police officer Suzanne Swift shows, numbers alone don't tell the whole story.
"I fear that she will kill herself. I fear that she will never have a happy life because she's been so damaged by all of this," said Sara Rich of Eugene, Ore. 

Click here to read more of this article

Sexual Assault Survivors Accuse Military of Systemic Uninterest
by Jessica Pupovac
The New Standard
December 21, 2006
That nationwide survey, which included women whose terms of service fell between 1961 and 2003, found that more than three-quarters of the respondents reported experiencing sexual harassment during their military service; a third suffered one or more completed or attempted rapes.
However, only 26 percent of the rape survivors reported it through official channels while in active duty. The most common reasons given were fear that the report would negatively impact the survivor's career or make things worse. A belief that nothing would be done and fear that they would be blamed by their co-workers were also prominent concerns. A shocking 19 percent thought that "rape [is] an expected part of military service."

Click here to read more of this artilce

Reported Cases Of Sexual Assault In Military Increase
1,700 Are Processed in '04 Amid New Policies
Washington Post
May 7, 2005
The number of reported sexual assaults in the military grew in 2004 and is expected to continue to rise next year as a result of new policies intended to remove barriers to victims coming forward, the Pentagon announced yesterday.
Military criminal organizations in 2004 received 1,700 reports of alleged cases of sexual assault, which includes rape, nonconsensual sodomy, indecent assault as well as attempts to commit those offenses.  

Click here to read more of this article

---

Want flyers/brochures?  Click here to go to the resources page .