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
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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,
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 common story from victims who report being raped, according to a Military Rape Crisis Center worker, is that they were “met with disbelief and skepticism, blamed for the crime, and disposed of one way or another,” (Kitfield). Until the military stops re-victimizing the victims it will never be able to completely eradicate rape from the ranks.
Service members Legal Defense Network, ""Conduct Unbecoming: Sixth annual report on Don't ask, don't tell, don't pursue, don't harass.” (2000): 1. Print.
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.
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.
Sexual harassment is an important issue in every business; if left unattended it could cost companies millions in damages. In 1980 the Supreme Court ruled that sexual harassment was a violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. From 1978 to 1980, sexual harassment cases brought against companies cost them $189 million. This number rose to $267 million from 1985-1987. Damages are just measured only by numbers. Sexual harassment can cause harm to a company's image, reputation, customers, as well as their revenue.
Sexual Assault in the military has become an uprising problem. Within the military community, the term sexual assault carries a meaning that includes everything from violent sexual acts such as rape and forcible sodomy, to assault with intent to commit rape, unwanted sexual touching or attention and being a witness of the crime and not reporting it. Although most believe those who commit such heinous crimes are usually a person or persons with a violent record, violence is not a prerequisite for sexual assault. Once a service member becomes a victim of sexual assault, they become much more than a victim of just the crime itself. They fall victim to their own thoughts, never being able to trust their chain of command again, jeopardizing careers
...ory as a risk factor for sexual harassment among U. S. Army soldiers. Violence and Victims, 13(3), 269-286.
The US Military has been one of the most powerful and respected fighting forces in the world; it is also a hotbed for sexual assault. Each year, thousands of men and women take an oath to serve and protect their country and each thousands of military service members are sexually assaulted. “Earlier this week, Pentagon officials released a new report which estimated more than 70 sexual assaults occur in the military each day.”(Shane III) Fear of retaliation, both personal and professional, and humiliation stop many service members from reporting their sexual assaults. Those few that make the bold choice to report incidents of sexual assault often finds themselves disappointed by the outcome; assaults that do get reported have an incredibly low rate of conviction of the offender. The US Military has proven over time that they are incapable of effectively dealing with the sexual assault problem that it faces.
“Hazing exists in any army”(Filipov, A28). Unity and respect are imperative when lives are on the line. Hazing turns a group of individuals into a finely tuned machine where all the parts work together as one. “People who volunteer for the service are subjected to taunts and hazing presumably to make it difficult to become a quitter. It is stated that many individuals compensate for feelings of inferiority by performing successfully in this training” (Bernstein, 1303). The Romans, who dominated the world for centuries, required many of their soldiers to sleep with one another to develop a high level of trust for their colleagues. The troops that defend the United States of America have all been hazed in one fashion or another, which has made the USA the most powerful nation in the world. Discipline, respect, trust, and unity make up the solid foundation required for a strong military.
Why should Lael get involved in reporting if she has not experienced any of the allegations the other employees are making?
Sexual assault is a heinous crime, something that affects the not only the victim, but also everyone that has personal contact with the victim. Phases one and two explored sexual assault on Dover Air Force Base, we established the target environment, who can be affected, the statistics related to sexual assault at Dover Air Force base, we performed a security assessment, and established an overall measure of the risks associated. In and this phase, phase three, we will explore solutions to reduce the occurrences of sexual assault, how these solutions can be implemented and engaged in the community, proof that these solutions can work, and means to measure the success of the proposed solutions.
In conclusion, sexual harassment in a workplace is a major problem in the modern working environment with significant impacts on organizational productivity, employee morale, and employee satisfaction. This form of discrimination occurs in various ways include requests for sexual favors, unwanted sexual advances or behaviors, threats, derogatory comments, and rape. The prevention of sexual harassment incidents requires the establishment of effective workplace policies and practices as well as concerted efforts by employers and employees.
Sexual harassment in the workplace is a huge problem in recent history. It can happen to anyone and it can happen everywhere. It can affect all types of races, gender and age. Statistics today shows that more and more sexual harassment has become an issue due to the large number of cases presented. Mainstream media becomes consume covering sexual harassment because of the high profile cases. Sexual harassment becomes a topic on various TV shows, and on some major morning radio talk shows mostly everyday. Sexual harassment laws must be strengthened in order to fix what has become a serious problem today in the workplace.