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Rape within the Military as a Global Social Issue
Rape has been going on since the beginning of time. It is a crime that takes place not only in our country, in our world, but even in our military. The first rape crisis center was established in the 1970’s. Now more than ever, many men and women in the military are coming forward after these horrific assaults are forced against them. Unlike past decades, this tragic and vicious crime is being brought to the fore front, and starting to be addressed more than ever. This is a current, and devastating problem that is effecting men and women globally.
Prevalence of the Problem
In order to end this epidemic, one must locate and understand the root of the problem.
According to an article, Rape: A Weapon of War, by the Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights (2013):
In the 20th century, perceptions of rape in war have moved from something that is inevitable when men are deprived of female companionship for prolonged periods to an actual tactic in conflict. The lasting psychological harm that rape inflicts on its victims has also been recognized: Rape is always torture, says Manfred Nowak, Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. (1)
The goal is to educate, fight against the many social injustices of rape victims, strive for the peace of the victim, the prevention of the act, and ensure the best treatment for these individuals. In the NY Times article Military Rape, Enemy within the Ranks, Mary Calvert illustrates how impacting of an issue rape has become in the U.S., “Over 26,000 rapes and sexual assaults took place in the military last year, and most of the woman who actually reported it were basically kicked o...
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...regarded as a sign of weakness or vulnerability, because of the “stronger, higher” standards a member of the armed forces is held to. Lastly, the culture that the military is striving to produce, ultimately is suppressing women’s rights.
Conclusion
There is no excuse nor any type of justification for rape. However, because it is a widespread problem, a demand for widespread awareness is in order. As global citizens, the world needs to become more conscious on the effects of stigmas and stereotypes for rape within the military. By eliminating these influences, a decrease in sexual violence cases can be met. Until then, it is crucial that this issue thought about seriously, and taken into perspective. By raising awareness alone, even outside the military, a stand can be taken against these labels that are costing veterans their livelihoods and peace of mind.
In Kirby Dick’s influential documentary “The Invisible War,” filmmaker Kirby Dick uses pathos, ethos and logos to gain information and supplementary details to make his point that there is an epidemic of rape in throughout the DOD (Department of Defense) and the fact that military sexual trauma (MST) in the United States military goes unheard, mostly unpunished and needs to be addressed at a higher level.
In 1996, Captain Derrick Robinson, Sergeant Delmar Simpson, and Sergeant Nathanael Beech were arraigned for their suspected involvement in one of the biggest sex scandals the United States Military had seen. According to CNN, between these three men, charges of rape and adultery were pending in a huge case of sexual misconduct against female soldiers at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland (CNN, 2996). Following this incident, the United States Military took it upon themselves to open a telephone hotline to encourage the reporting of similar harsh crimes. Furthermore, the spike in reporting influenced extensive research to examine the prevalence of rape against women soldiers in the U.S. Military (Titunik, 2000). This paper will explore the dynamics of rape against women soldiers in the military and the research done on its prevalence.
“The sweetly sickening odor of decomposing bodies hung over many parts of Rwanda in July 1994: . . . at Nyarubuye in eastern Rwanda, where the cadaver of a little girl, otherwise intact, had been flattened by passing vehicles to the thinness of cardboard in front of the church steps,” (Deforges 6). The normalcy of horrible images like this one had cast a depressing gloom over Rwanda during the genocide, a time when an extreme divide caused mass killings of Tutsi by the Hutu. Many tactics such as physical assault or hate propaganda are well known and often used during times of war. Sexual assault and rape, however, during times of war is an unspoken secret – it is well known that rape occurs within combat zones and occupied territories, but people tend to ignore, or even worse, not speak of the act. There have been recorded cases of rape and sexual assault in almost every war in human history. Genocidal rape was used as a gendered war tactic in the Rwandan genocide in order to accomplish the Hutu goal of elimination of the Tutsi people in whole, or part.
In the surveys they have referenced in the article, it displays military sexual trauma increases among women during and after military deployment of unwanted sexual contact in recent years. The authors have recruited and conducted of twenty-two US servicewomen telephone interviews from May 2011 to January 2012 to participate a qualitative study with or without their MST experiences. They asked the participants questions regarding about MST during deployment and other factors which are disturbing their reporting and accessing to services against the perpetrators. The issues of sexism, high stress levels, and failed military leadership contributing factors which put these servicewomen in jeopardy of MST. Some of the interview women said that servicewomen do not report MST due to lack of support from peers, unreliable confidentiality, stigma, and other barriers. The interviewees feel more comfortable opening to medical care services after deployment in the United States that grips with sexual assault cases than throughout deployment around the world. The participants have suggested to improving the MST services: by increasing awareness, prosecution, investigation, cultural shift, and independence service providers. The interviewees recognized that Military se...
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 have been for many years without much effort to decrease the attacks. I am suggesting that unless the rape and sexual assault issue is fixed, the amount of people joining the military, specifically the women, will decrease greatly.
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.
Sexual assault in the military has become one of the most controversial of all issues that have been discussed over the years. The topic has received extensive media coverage and has contributed to multiple media scandals. According to a Newsweek report done in 2011, women are more likely to be assaulted by fellow soldiers than killed in combat. The Department of Defense estimates approximately 19,000 sexual assaults occur per year amongst military personnel. That number is stifling considering that in the last year only 1,108 troops filed for investigation, and of those only 575 cases were processed. Out of the 575 processed cases only 96 went to Court Martial. Obviously from the numbers, sexual assault is a serious issue in the military. Much like in the civilian world there is bias when it comes to the guilt or innocence of the attacker, as well as the validity in the accounts of the accuser. I believe that the system in place may inadvertently contribute to the continuous rise in sexual assaults and that if this system isn’t fixed quickly, it will be detrimental to the organization as a whole. Sexual assault has seriously negative impacts on service members and their families. That impact carries over to their work, limiting mission readiness, and undermining national security.
Understanding the diversity in the U.S. Military is easiest if the numbers are looked at according to this nation’s population. American women account for fifty-one percent of the U.S. population and yet they only make up about sixteen percent of our uniformed officers throughout each branch of the military. The numbers are even fewer when looking at the number of women who have made a general officer rank. In the Army, only four percent of the generals are female, Navy admirals are seven percent, Air Force numbers are only nine percent, and the lowest number is the Marine Corps with three percent. (Sagalyn, 2011). The graph below shows the disparity in the numbers from each branch of the military and covers both active and reserve officers.
Zurbriggen, E. (). Rape, War, And The Socialization of Masculinity: Why Our Refusal To Give Up Was Ensures That Rape Cannot Be Eradicated. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 34, 538-539
Rape can happen to anyone. Women from different cultures, races, ages, and economic level are all vulnerable. It does not matter who you are or where you live, although women of lowest status are most vulnerable to rape, and so are Hispanic and African American women. (An...
Many of the attitudes, beliefs, and mistaken ideas about rape have been with us for centuries. By looking at myths, such as “women ask for it,” and “women secretly enjoy rape,” from a historical perspective, can lead us for better understanding how they evolved. Much stems back to the idea that women are still seen as the property of men, and are protected as such. Men and women are still taught to occupy very different roles in today’s world. Men a...
Rape is a very traumatic experience for the victims. One in six American females will suffer from sexual assault or rape (RAINN, 2014). Females, along with males usually suffer from depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, alcohol abuse, drug abuse, pregnancy and many more (RAINN, 2003). In addition, victims “may suffer from adverse emotional consequences including feelings of ongoing fear, low-self esteem, self-blame, guilt and shock” (Branch et. all, 2013). Moreover, the largest group people diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder are survivors of sexual assault (Reid-Cunningham, 2009).
The society we live in is rape-conducive, rape-friendly, if you will. Despite the anger I feel joining those two words together, I know the sad paradox holds within it a great deal of truth. We are a violent society that has shrouded rape in mystery and shame. To stop this nightmare’s venomous crusades, all people must wage a private war to eradicate their own acceptance of the savage crime. While it is only a minority of men that actually commit rape, it is everyone’s silence that tells them it’s ok.
Rape is a vicious, terrible act that can scar a victim for the rest of his or her life. Women have always been seen as less than men. A couple of hundreds of years ago women were seen as a man’s property and slowly but surely women have gained their independence from men with the right to vote, to hold property, to and divorce a man. But even with advances women have made they are still considered weak compared to men. Domestic violence, rape, and marital rape are becoming more and more common. Today women are fighting for the right to say “no” in any and every situation, including when she is married to the man. Marital rape was not always seen as illegal and many psychologist have come up with theories as to why that is. There are potential
...e in an endeavour to terrorize enemy civilian populations (Barstow, 2014). It is unfortunate that the bulk of the victims are women and children, individuals who have no reason to be terrorized in such a cruel manner. Two of the worst cases of the sexual enslavement of women were in territories seized by Japanese armed forces in addition to the mass rape committed by advancing Russian combatants against German women (Barstow, 2014). Clearly rape is an issue of great concern when it is taken into consideration the frequency of such wrongdoings along with the application of rape as an armament of war. Through countless acts of rape and sexual violence, it is evidenced that no one from any age group is safe from these criminalities. However, individuals frequently display acts of violence and cruelty not only to other humans, but to innocent animals and pets as well.