Introduction
Sexual assault is common in most institutions and societies in the United States. The American military is included in the institutions that have engaged in sexual assault, and it has caused some scandals that have obtained wide media coverage. These assaults have affected both men and women in the services, but women are more vulnerable to these cases. According to the Department of Defense, there are about 20,000 assaults in the military annually. However, in 2013, the Pentagon statistics showed that 1,108 military members reported their case for an investigation, but just 575 sexual assaults reported were processed (Vukotich, 2013).
Reports also indicate that women are likely to report assault cases compared to men in the military (Vukotich, 2013). Department of Defense Sexual Assault Response Policy was established with the aim of managing these assault issues. The details presented in the 2004 National Defense Authorization Act called for the examination and inquiry of any case reported in relation to sexual assault in the American military academies (Friedman, 2008). The American Congress has also passed some policies with the intention of solving these sexual assaults within the military (Kennedy, 2013). This paper discusses the sexual assaults in the American military.
Discussion
The American Army Study Guide describes sexual assault as “a crime defined as intentional sexual contact, characterized by the use of force, physical threat or abuse of authority or when the victim does not or cannot consent. Sexual Assault includes Rape; Non consensual Sodomy (oral or anal sex); Indecent Assault (unwanted, inappropriate sexual contact or fondling), and Attempts to commit these acts” (Street & Stafford, 2008, 410).
As research states that the cases of sexual assaults in the military are minimal compared to civilian life, these cases have an exclusively larger and harmful impact on the military. Sexual assaults can harm the military members’ morale, ruin the military en bloc, portray disregard for the military’s chain of command, and damage unit solidity. Troops are often trained that they should trust the military’s chain of command and other service members. However, the sexual assaults damage this trust among the members that can weaken the willingness of defense forces in the United States (Sadler & Booth, 2007).
The study that analyzed the experiences of women troops who came from the Iraq War revealed various cases of post-traumatic stress syndrome originating from both sexual assaults and war-related stress. Around 16% of female members from Afghanistan and Iraq were screened, and some reports on sexual distress incidents were observed (Hunter, 2013). Moreover, around 5% of male members were also reported to be experiencing sexual distress. According to the Pentagon statistics, around 85% of sexual assault incidents are not reported by the service members (Caplan, 2013). The fear of ramifications and humiliation that may come after military members report the case is adequate to make them silent.
As a result of the increased cases of sexual assault, the Task Force on Sexual Harassment and Violence was formed in 2004. This Task Force was dedicated to solving these cases within Military Service Academies. American Congress instructed the Task Force to examine and provide effective recommendations regarding the ways in which the Navy and Army Department can successfully manage sexual assault cases within the respective academies (Kimerling, 2008).
In 2013, Congress enacted some major amendments to the American personnel policy. This allowed the Senate to renew some approaches to manage rape and sexual assault incidents (Rowe, 2013). This amendment eliminates the restrictions regarding the investigation and reporting of rape and sexual assaults. It also disallows the military commanders to ignore or overturn the judge’s ruling and makes it an offense to get revenge on service members who report the cases of assault and harassment.
The legislation permits contract termination or dishonorable discharge of any military member found guilty of assault. Congress also established the Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP) of the American military to provide certain details on the issues of sexual assaults (Beers, 2013).
At both the Navy and Army Academies, it seems there are weak prevention and response plans. To achieve their intention of preventing and managing sexual assaults in the military successfully, they should establish an institutional prevention and management program in both military academies to help solve these alarming issues (Stanley, 2011). This program should be assessed and revised every year. Moreover, in the Task Force, some units within the military are underutilized in the response and prevention program (Newman, 2008).
Conclusion
Sexual assaults have been reported in the American military that affect both male and female members of the service. However, most cases of sexual assaults are not reported due to the fear of humiliation and consequences after reporting. Various programs and policies have been established to manage sexual assaults in the military. The Task Force and Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP) were established as a way of addressing these distressing incidents. However, the military should utilize all levels and units of the service with the purpose of reducing or eliminating these assaults and harassment cases.
References
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