Military Sexual Assault
Sexual assault in all the United States military services remains a serious and persist issue. These assaults impair military mission readiness and disrupt unit cohesion – two elements that are key to the success of our military. Recent reforms have improved the situation, but additional steps need to be taken now. To end sexual assault in the military a comprehensive and sustained strategy is needed. This paper will consider the background of military sexual assault, the genesis of sexual assault in the military, and the military cultural factors related to this assault. The paper will conclude with recommendations for military assault prevention reform.
The background of military Sexual Assault Approximately 215,000 women serve in …show more content…
(Lee 2014) Twenty percent of all female veterans report have been victims of sexual abuse during their service. (Nocerta 2013) In DOD surveys of active duty service members conducted since 2006, between 4.4 percent and 6.8 percent of women and between 0.9 and 1.8 percent of men consistently report having been the victim of unwanted sexual conduct in the prior year. (Department of Defense 2014) Compound this gender issue, an estimated eighty-six percent of military sexual assault victims do not report their assaults. (Lee 2014)
Besides being potentially catastrophic for the victim, significant numbers of sexual assaults in the ranks is a disgrace to the military. In addition, it “imposes significant costs[,]…impairs mission readiness as a whole,” and “disrupts unit cohesion.” (U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, Sexual Assault in the Military 2013)
Considering the high incidents of sexual assaults and the gravity of their effects, the military has faced increasing pressure to alleviate this issue. (Schenck 2014) Public indignation has been provoked by a steady stream of media reports condemning military sexual assaults and the military’s piecemeal response to them. (Nocerta 2013) Recently, members of Congress, President Obama, the Secretary of Defense, and senior military leadership ardently joined in calling for swift reform. (Brady 2016) How to resolve this issue continues …show more content…
The military has a patriarchal structure influenced by values such as formality, rank, leadership, loyalty, camaraderie, and emotional control. Priority is placed on masculine ideals, encouraging notions of dominance, aggression, self-sufficiency, and risk-taking. (Honor 2007) The power differential between men and women in the military, owing to its male-dominated leadership and structure, plays an important role in sexual assault. (Turchik 2010) Hyper-masculine men can feel threatened by competent women and men considered weak or effeminate. Women in the military report feeling scrutinized and watched by men, judged as less competent and victimized by their jealousy and anger. (Katz
The background of military Sexual Assault Approximately 215,000 women serve in …show more content…
(Lee 2014) Twenty percent of all female veterans report have been victims of sexual abuse during their service. (Nocerta 2013) In DOD surveys of active duty service members conducted since 2006, between 4.4 percent and 6.8 percent of women and between 0.9 and 1.8 percent of men consistently report having been the victim of unwanted sexual conduct in the prior year. (Department of Defense 2014) Compound this gender issue, an estimated eighty-six percent of military sexual assault victims do not report their assaults. (Lee 2014)
Besides being potentially catastrophic for the victim, significant numbers of sexual assaults in the ranks is a disgrace to the military. In addition, it “imposes significant costs[,]…impairs mission readiness as a whole,” and “disrupts unit cohesion.” (U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, Sexual Assault in the Military 2013)
Considering the high incidents of sexual assaults and the gravity of their effects, the military has faced increasing pressure to alleviate this issue. (Schenck 2014) Public indignation has been provoked by a steady stream of media reports condemning military sexual assaults and the military’s piecemeal response to them. (Nocerta 2013) Recently, members of Congress, President Obama, the Secretary of Defense, and senior military leadership ardently joined in calling for swift reform. (Brady 2016) How to resolve this issue continues …show more content…
The military has a patriarchal structure influenced by values such as formality, rank, leadership, loyalty, camaraderie, and emotional control. Priority is placed on masculine ideals, encouraging notions of dominance, aggression, self-sufficiency, and risk-taking. (Honor 2007) The power differential between men and women in the military, owing to its male-dominated leadership and structure, plays an important role in sexual assault. (Turchik 2010) Hyper-masculine men can feel threatened by competent women and men considered weak or effeminate. Women in the military report feeling scrutinized and watched by men, judged as less competent and victimized by their jealousy and anger. (Katz