Last year the Defense Department confirmed that there were more than 19,000 incidences of sexual assault in the U.S. military. The assaults were on both men and women in equal numbers, according to the film makers. The men were less likely to report and much less inclined to be interviewed.
Leon Panetta has instituted new rules which is a place to start. Part of the problem has been that victims reported within the chain of command. Chain of command has led to more and more people simply not reporting crimes against them because of the reaction of some of the superior officers. Some trrops have even lost rank, suffered ridicule, or even more degrading responses.
The film opens today, June 22. Perhaps Congress could set asside its need to play gotcha with the Obama administration and take a look at the 19,000 victims found within our own military. Then they could go back and look at about that number for each preceding year. There have been hundreds of thousands over the years. This recent 19,000 is just the tip of the iceberg. The majority feel that the sexual abuse and harassment was not handled correctly or dealt with at all, despite the fact that most report that they had very good commanders.
One of the concerns expressed is that we have sexual predators in the military who are almost shielded, or at best, not prosecuted, then released into a civilian population after being discharged. There are also an increasing number of sex abuse victims coming out of the military. They are certainly not getting mental health treatment for their abuse. Victims have destribed double victimhood–first by their abusers and then by the military who did little to alieviate the situation. Some of the victims have even come out of the Marine Barracks that guard the White House.
According to the film makers, the military has responded very positively to their work. Most have said they are going to speak up immediately because the military is better than this! However, there are hundredd of thousands of victims out there and perhaps its time for Congress to hold hearings to get to the bottom of this outrage. With these numbers we are talking epidemic! Yes, one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch.
Word gets around. How many women aren’t signing up because of this blight on our military?
Far be it from us to discuss rape and sexual abuse in the military.
Holy cow, this film is blowing the lid off of something many of us have known for years.
How does something like this go on? Easy. In an all male dominated environment where studliness and testostrone rule, there are going to be some people who cannot differentiate between skilled seductery and caveman sex. There is still way too much wink wink nudge nudge as well as plain, in view backslapping of that which emanates success as a man.
Unfortunately, most of this unacceptable, often criminal behavior is not reported. Why? I can only speak for women. The first reason is embarrassment. Other reasons for military women is the fact that they face ridicule and have their careers threatened. Sometimes commanders are part of the very system that allowed the behavior in the first place.
I was in charge of the investigation into sexual assaults at the Air Force Academy in 2003 and helped write and edit a nearly 200-page report (link below) that then led to an IG investigation and congressional hearings. It’s unfortunate that almost a decade later these kinds of things are still far too common in the military.
http://www.dtic.mil/dtfs/doc_research/p18_17.pdf
@Moe,
I am impressed. Good for you.
Were you called in for the Christian bullying? Mikey Weinstein? Was that the guy’s name?
@Moe