Combatting Sexual Misconduct in the U.S. Military

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Abstract
For decades, the United States Armed Forces have fought a war against sexual harassment and sexual assault which has threatened the integrity and morale among comrades. The army has developed different programs to educate and train leaders in order to assist each individual in a decent and fair way. It is the duty of each member to attend trainings as a method of learning to prevent future crimes and possible outcomes. It is important to understand how alcohol and controlled substance abuse are the main factor in must of cases. Readers may learn the purpose of the Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention Program, review the fictional case, analyze several scenarios, and create their own conclusions.

The War …show more content…

Although many people think that these actions are more frequent in other types of jobs, the United States Armed Forces are not exempt from it. The war against this erratic conduct has cost many military personnel their careers, mental health, and in more drastic cases, their death. For these reasons the U.S Army established programs to train soldiers, protect victims, and punish perpetrators. The Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention Program (SHARP) is a fusion of the Army’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program (SAPR) and Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH). The purpose of this fusion was to address an increasing number of sexual assault cases related to sexual harassment. (U.S. Army, …show more content…

One is the restricted report, and the other is the unrestricted report. In the restricted report, the victim feels a sense of confidentiality because it does not require an official investigation, but it allows the victim to receive medical, psychological and spiritual support. The unrestricted report leads to an official investigation that breaks the links of confidentiality. A drawback of the restricted report is that it lets the perpetrator get away with crime and give him the opportunity to repeat it with another individual. A benefit of the restricted report is that it allows the victim to develop confidence and time to heal wounds. Nevertheless, it does not mean that the victim cannot switch from a restricted to an unrestricted report at any time. It is very important to remember that we should refer the victim to the Victim Advocate or the SHARP specialist as soon as possible to make the report more official. (U.S. Army,

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