Impact of Gender on Reactions to Military Sexual Assault and Harassment

Throughout the world, deviant acts and social controls are committed everyday. An incredibly significant one that is often unreported is sexual assault within the military. Sexual assault is already determined as an extremely deviant act throughout the world. All acts of rape and other abusive acts should never be dismissed or ignored, but rape within the military is often not reported or recognized. If it is brought to light, the victims are generally in fear of losing their positions, rankings, homes, relationships with their spouses and families, etc…. This is not to state that men are not also victims of sexual assault, but women are much more prone and vulnerable to being attacked and harassed. I will be focusing on the female victims of military assault in this paper.

Women have been sexually harassed and assaulted in the work force for years, and for many years, the US Army has been dealing with this enormous and overwhelming issue, through the help of their agency known as the Equal Opportunity Program (EOP). In the US Army regulation 600-20, Army Chief of Staff, General Raymond T Odierno, States the purpose, “This regulation prescribes the policies and responsibilities of command, which include the Well-being of the force, military discipline, and conduct, the Army Equal Opportunity (EO) Program, and the Army Sexual Assault Victim Program.“ For a long time, the Army’s EOP Equal Opportunity

The Department of Defense Annual Report for Sexual Assault reveals the scope of the problem of sexual assault and harassment in the military. In the Pentagon’s 2012 report, the Marine Corps’ numbers gashed the soul of a service that prides itself on its core values of Honor, Courage, and Commitment. The report revealed that 10% of female Marines were the victim of unwanted sexual contact, documenting 333 unrestricted reports and an additional 102 restricted reports of

Whether or whether not women speak up, doesn’t change the fact that it is happening in the military. Women in general deal with the effects of sexual trauma, but military women may have to re-live it on a day to day basis. As quoted in the article, perpetrators are typically other military personnel, and victims often must continue to live and work with their assailants daily (para. 5). Because of the seriousness of MST, each VA hospital now has a designated coordinator to oversee MST screening and treatment (para. 5). The authors purpose is ultimately to study the VHA’S MST program. It provides the opportunity to investigate the screenings for sexual violence (para. 2). It is very important that women with MST are able to get some type of help, and medication for the after effects of the traumatic experiences they endured while in the

In “The Invisible War,” it is noted that “women who have been raped in the military have a PTSD rate higher than men who have been in combat” (The Invisible War, 2012). The impact that military sexual assault has on victims is tremendous. Both physical and mental trauma are common, and they play a significant role in how victims of sexual assault are able to return to their daily lives.

Today I am here to talk to you all about a problem that is sweeping the nation. In 2012, 8.3% of veterans that are women compared to 6.9% of male veterans were unemployed. Most veterans miss out on going to college and getting proper education for getting jobs. The Veterans Health Administration did a poll and the poll showed that one in five female veterans had Military Sexual Trauma. Many women in the survey did not want to say that they have been abused. Women have gotten raped or had attempted rape while serving in the military. There is a girl named Sarah and she told her story about the time she almost got raped by a military guy. Sarah had said that she was having an alcoholic beverage because she was finding out if she got into a really

Other concerns include the way individuals are treated based on race, gender, and other factors (Singer, 2000; Solomon, 1984). With more women in the Army today, there are concerns about rape and sexual harassment. There are also concerns regarding trust, because some types of soldiers do not feel comfortable trusting their lives to other types of soldiers. While this should not be the case, it often is - and it can be a serious problem because trust is vital for

The purpose of this essay is to discuss the issue of rape and sexual assault in the military. The number of attacks for rape and sexual assault in the military are at an all-time high. Women have recently been allowed to fight on the front line. While this may be a huge achievement for women-kind, for this woman, it is a very scary thought. I am a junior at Texas Academy of Biomedical Sciences; a school geared towards students wishing to enter the medical field. I may be forced to join the military one day if a war breaks out and women are needed to protect the country. I would be happy to serve my country if I did not have to be scared of my fellow soldiers. Rape and sexual assault are major issues in the military and

Presently women are sacrificing their lives serving this country in all branches of the military in the United States. Women are more involved in combat situations since the war began in Afghanistan and Iraq. With the increase of women in the military came the increase of sexual violence. In the beginning, very few reports of sexual violence were reported; over time the number of reported cases became a huge issue that brought awareness to those that work with the President of the United States. At that moment, processes were being looked at; changes needed to be made to find ways to give confidence to victims, to feel safe enough to report the crime of sexual violence. The Department of Defense is currently working on measures to alleviate the problem. Sex crimes on women in the military can have intense effects on their mental, physical and emotional well-being. Sexual harassment and sexual assault also extends to include

military, women play a larger role than in earlier generations, and they serve in combat support positions such as pilots, convoy transportation, intelligence, mechanics, and military police (Street, Vogt, & Dutra, 2009). These positions have placed female veterans at significant risk for exposure to psychological and physical stress, and women are also at increased risk for experiencing gender harassment and demeaning behaviors based on biological sex differences (Gutierrez et al., 2013). Additionally, roughly one in five women seen by the VA have a history of military sexual trauma (Department of Veterans Affairs, 2010), and they experience stress related to lower social support from peers (Street et al.,

“She was drunk she does not remember.” “She’s lying; she just wants a promotion.” “Everyone on base has had sex with her, she’s a whore.” These are all signs why women are afraid to speak out about an attack in the armed forces. Sexual assault happens all over the world, especially in the military. It can be hard to believe because, most people join the military to better themselves and be a role model for others. Society’s views on the military are that they are saviors just simply trying to fight for their country, they are not seen attacking their own. Women and men are both suppose to join together and fight for their country rather then fighting against each other. This is saddening because the military

Every day we hear subtle micro-aggressions about women and I never really understood why. Don’t be such a girl! Don’t fight like a girl! Comments like these are meant as an insult, and never to be taken as a compliment. But, why? Today, women are CEO’s, doctors, lawyers and presidential candidates. Women are stronger and more powerful today than ever before. However, society still paints a clear picture of women being weak, and not able to compete with their male counterparts. For example, prior to the repeal of the ground combat exclusion policy in 2013, (which opened more than 250,000 previously closed positions for women) women were seen as distractions and not fit for combat. The repeal of the combat exclusion policy in 2013, was an important

The military has become the epicenter for rape and abuse of women, all of which military officials have swept aside with all too little concern. Case after case of rape and sexual harassment are dismissed with little to no investigation made. The women of the military live scared of their male superiors and colleagues, and what they might do. Victims of sexual harassment or rape often see their pursuers honorably discharged and returned to society with no criminal record.

In the past, military news typically evolved tragic training incidents or deaths during overseas combat. However, over the last several years many incidents involving military personnel and sexual assault have made headlines across the United States. Military women and men have brought to light the lack of justice for victims of sexual assault, and the prevalence of such attacks. Questions arise as to why victims do not report incidents or seek assistance when they are physically or sexually assaulted. Many reasons are due to how the system of reporting is established within the military, retaliation and further re-victimization within the chain of command. Modifications to the current system have begun within the Department of Defense and

in 2016 compared to 6,082 last year, an annual military report showed. This was a sharp jump from 2012 when 3,604 cases were reported. Few bills have been presented in Congress against the institution for fear of disrespecting those who are fighting for our country. By attacking one section of the military for injustice and abuse, there is fear that this could possibly only be scratching the surface of the issue. Protections for women in the military seem to have a bleak outcome due to the fact that more recently similar ideas surrounding sexual abuse of females within militaries have become more prevalent.