Sexual Assault and Harassment in the Army
“A soldier is the most-trusted profession in America. Americans have trust in you because you trust each other. No matter how difficult times are, those of us who love the Army must stick with it.”
Joining the army equals becoming part of a new family. Soldiers are transformed throughout Basic Training to digest the concept that a perfect stranger could possibly be the person to save his or her life on the battlefield. Drill sergeants go as far as making recruits follow through with confidence and obstacle courses to force and persuade the idea that comradery to the army and those a part of the army’s family is the one and only path to success. Teamwork makes any mission immensely easier when others are working with a soldier just like it would in the civilian world. Unfortunately, despite the implantation of comradery early on in the soldier’s career, there is always a problem counteracting the army’s idea and hope for success. Inside this dependable family lies an enemy in the midst; someone who looks and acts as a dutiful soldier but shows selfish qualities behind closed doors. The biggest enemy of the United States Army is sexual harassment and has been since this family became into existence. Sexual harassment and assault is and always will be a problem in the United States Army.
Granting that the military takes every step necessary to this problem from completely spiraling out of control, there are still predators taking advantage of their own people in circumstances, such as a battlefield, that force soldiers to depend on their fellow soldiers. Sexual harassment is defined by unfair treatment and unwanted advancements that are sexual in nature or related to one’s sex.
At a time when a service member needs to be mentally tough, sexual assault injures a soldier and paralyzes his or her abilities on the battlefield; the same battlefield that comrades depend on each another to be present if there was a moment that a soldier were in danger of the enemy. The enemy is, unfortunately, not always on the opposite team. Sexual assault takes many forms including attacks such as rape or attempted rape, as well as any unwanted sexual contact or threats. Usually a sexual assault occurs when someone touches any part of another person's body in a sexual way, even through clothes, without that person's consent. Some types of sexual acts, which fall under the category of sexual assault, include forced sexual intercourse, sodomy, fondling and attempted rape. Sexual assault in any form is often a devastating crime. Assailants can be strangers, acquaintances, friends, or family members. Assailants commit sexual assault by way of violence, threats, coercion, manipulation, pressure or tricks.
Unwanted forcible intercourse can occur in two different settings. A soldier may decide to make sexual advances at another soldier in garrison. (Garrison is a term referring to being on United States soil and away from combat stress.) Alcohol is typically the main factor as to statistically why unwanted sexual advances occur so frequently. Because alcohol is available with military personnel more often than civilians, this impairs the judgment of every party involved. The person being assaulted may not realize that there is a problem escalating, the assailant normally does not act out sexually as he or she would when intoxicated, and the witnesses’ judgments are impaired as well since they would attempt to discontinue the problem immediately if not under the influence. If a woman were to be completely intoxicated, she is not of the correct mind to choose if she wants to have sexual intercourse; therefore, if she has sex under the influence, the person also included in this event can be subject to punishment if she decides later that she was taken advantage of.
There are also issues with sexual assault in theater. Typically, those that are assaulted overseas are taken advantage of by someone that he or she trusts and is also in his or her chain of command. Since battle stress is already a problem while living in a combat zone, sexual assault can injure a service member’s mentality, making this soldier not capable of fulfilling any duty given to him or her. No matter where the assault takes place, the army has zero tolerance for any unwanted sexual advancement.
Most of the time, sexual assault goes unreported and the predator freely walks away from any deserving punishment for his or her actions. Females choose not to report an incident, especially while in theater, because she feels that she will be labeled negatively by her comrades or will be subject to further harassment. In addition, women are still devalued in much of the military because as many will point out, they are not allowed to engage in front line combat. Most women feel that they are seen as ultimately less valuable than men. Some feel that because of this, women should not be in the military, which is viewed as a man’s world. Because women cannot engage in frontline combat, they are seen as not really deserving of being in the military and having to sacrifice less to be there. This means that many still believe that if a woman is sexually assaulted in the military it is at least a little bit her fault because she does not necessarily belong there in the first place. (Theater is a term that is used in reference of a combat zone overseas, such as Iraq or Afghanistan.) So if a woman were to voluntarily put herself in the company of large groups of men, especially who are on a deployment and so not having easy access to consensual sex. She should expect the harassment, figuratively speaking. One female, that recently returned from a tour in Iraq, stated, “I never wanted to report this event because I knew that my leaders would take away privileges from everyone in order to secure that sexual harassment would never happen again. I was terrified that my battle buddies would lash out at me. So I said absolutely nothing” (Anonymous).
Men, on the other hand, did not report the occurrence because of a sense of masculinity. A man in the military finds it difficult to admit that he was taken advantage of against his will in fear that his team will persecute him because of his weakness. Sexual assault goes unreported for numerous other reasons. Some servicemen and women choose to keep quiet because he or she feels that it will take too long or remain a waste of time. While some feared the consequences of telling his or her chain of command, others belittled the assault into something that was not a big deal and therefore decided that reporting it was unnecessary. (A chain of command refers to superiors that a lower ranking soldier confides in when in need of support.)
Unfortunately, those that experience a form of sexual assault or sexual harassment allow this betrayal to exist without consequence more often than not. Statistically, 58 percent of women in the military do not disclose the matter and 68 percent of military men do the same (http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123140293).
Fortunately, the army has been making a breakthrough with its fight against sexual harassment and assault. Even though the army statistically projects a higher number of reported sexual assault occurrences, defense officials of the military do not conclude this negatively. One possible explanation for the increase could be that higher numbers of victims are reporting incidents as people become more aware of sexual assault in general. "This does not mean sexual assaults have gone up. This means that reports have gone up, which we see as very positive. The increase of reports means the department's policy of getting victims to come forward is making a difference” (http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123140293). Today, the army continues the constant battle to withhold unity within its family and fight those that threaten the unity’s existence.
One of the largest complaints from those that are sexually harassed or assaulted is the simple fact that he or she was never educated properly in reporting an incident, how to go about reporting it, or the consequences that coincides with the disclosure. Defense officials then decided, in 2007, that the main issue was circumstantially the lack of information given out to fellow soldiers about sexual assault and how to react if one were to experience it.
Every fiscal year, a company commander must perform a power point presentation training his or her soldiers on what to do and how to deal with sexual assault if it were to occur. Along with a company commander, there is an appointed Victim Advocate (VA) whose main job is to make sure that if some event were to occur, the Victim Advocate would be the go-to person for the victim to trust. “The Victim Advocate provides essential support and care to the victim to include providing non-clinical information on available options and resources to assist the victim in making informed decisions as they progress through resolution and healing” (http://www.suite101.com/content/consequences-of-sexual-assault-a152772). Essentially present day, a soldier is told that if he or she feels violated sexually, specifically in the no-no spots, they should immediately report it to the Victim Advocate and refrain from any showering. (The no-no spots in the army are: the inner-thigh, pelvic area, chest, and buttocks.) Once the Victim Advocate is informed of the situation, the victim has the choice to decide if he or she would like to present the case restricted or unrestricted. This is a basis of privacy.
Because a lot of people that are sexually assaulted are embarrassed of being taken advantage of, most decide to present the sexual assault as restricted. “This option is for victims of sexual assault who wish to confidentially disclose the crime to specifically identified individuals and receive medical treatment and counseling without triggering the official investigative process” (http://www.suite101.com/content/consequences-of-sexual-assault-a152772). Service members who are sexually assaulted and desire restricted reporting under this policy must report the assault to a Sexual Assault Response Coordinator (SARC), Victim Advocate, a healthcare provider or chaplain. This policy on restricted reporting is in addition to the current protections afforded privileged communications with a chaplain, and does not alter or affect those protections. The problem with allowing a victim to approach the harassment or assault restricted is the basis that facts and evidence are harder for the Victim Advocate to come across with less people allotted to communicate with; however, it is not impossible. The company commander is not informed if the assailant decides that he or she is addressing the issue restricted.
Reporting an assault or harassment unrestricted is a faster process since victim discretion is not the main focus. “This option is for victims of sexual assault who desire medical treatment, counseling and an official investigation of the crime” (http://www.suite101.com/content/consequences-of-sexual-assault-a152772). When selecting unrestricted reporting, a soldier should use chain of command, law enforcement or report the incident to the Sexual Assault Response Coordinator, or request healthcare providers to notify law enforcement.
Along with educating troops about this known issue, the Army has worked a plan that is devised to target soldiers with the harshest punishment possible for such an act of treason. A rapist could face a maximum of three years in jail before the military decided that this assault was a more immense problem that it was perceived to be (http://www.suite101.com/content/consequences-of-sexual-assault-a152772). Now, the army has worked with the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) and sexual predators face twenty years to life, depending on the severity of the event.
Since the beginning attempt to battle forcible intercourse in 2007, statistics show an obvious favorable decrease in assault in the military overall. With each year after 2007, fewer events have occurred and more assailants have been prosecuted to receive the appropriate consequence for their actions. As well as receiving consequences, more assailants now have a consistent maximum punishment for assaulting a fellow soldier.
Five years ago and leading up to present day, the army glorifies the impression of team cohesion and family unity. Duty to the United States, Personal Courage that one develops during mission, Respect for a fellow soldier, Honor for what is being completed, Integrity in oneself, and Selfless Service for being in the military accompany Loyalty in the Army Core Values. These values are instilled and brainwashed constantly in every service member’s mind to always do the right thing, even when other people are not looking. All personnel in the Military Department have the responsibility for maintaining high standards of honesty, integrity, impartiality and conduct to ensure proper performance and maintenance of trust. If everyone in the military were to follow these values, sexual assault would no longer be an issue in the army. Since the juncture of time that the military began, sexual assault has been a problem and as long as any human is involved with the military, this issue will never cease to exist and will always be a problem.
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