Sexual trauma is a serious problem not only in the military but in society. It is defined as sexual harassment or sexual assault and can happen at any time. Although there are treatment plans to help deal with the experience there is still a harsh stigmatism surrounding sexual trauma. Loss of professionalism and the possibility of being diagnosed with a personality disorder, are two of the consequences of reporting sexual trauma in the military. A lot of thoughts go through your mind after something like this happens. You wonder how you’re going to get through this and if it will happen again. Women experience more sexual trauma, a higher unemployment rate, and are more likely to kill themselves compare to male veterans. Research by Goldstein, …show more content…
While it is necessary to understand the entire situation and to remain impartial; sometimes the victim ends up getting blamed, not taken seriously, or hindered from taking further actions. Being in the military means there is a chain of command and that people with higher ranks than you usually have friends in high places; making them almost untouchable with hard evidence and they can make your life difficult career wise. The dangerous of reporting this incident is going through mental health services and getting misdiagnosed. This can lead to a discharge that isn’t honorable and effect the benefits you will receive and sometimes in the case being dismissed if it is thought the condition was preexisting the sexual trauma experience. PTSD is an extremely common diagnosis after sexual trauma which can lead to a substance abuse disorder. Per research by Davis & Wood (1999) “…high incidence of PTSD related to sexual trauma in a substance-abusing population of female veterans and a high incidence of substance abuse among female veterans who initially presented requesting help for sexual trauma…” There is already stigmatism surround sexual trauma, adding on top of this being a woman and struggling with drinking makes it hard to get
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.
Military rape victims are re-victimized by the military. Often military members are ostracized, punished by the chain-of-command of command, and eventually forced out of the military because they reporting being raped. My former shipmate Petty Officer Second Class (PO2) Rebecca Blumer chose to report her rape and suffered the consequences.
Stephanie Schroeder was twenty one when she joined the United States Marine Corps shortly after the attack on the World Trader Center. In 2002, Schroeder’s life changed when a fellow Marine beat and raped her in a bathroom. Rather than punishing her assailant, a non-commissioned officer told Schroeder, “Don’t come bitching to me because you had sex and changed your mind” (Martin). Shortly after, Schroder was discharged for a personality disorder that she claims was because she tried to report the incident. Unfortunately, Schroeder’s story is not uncommon. Each year, approximately 26,000 service people are sexually assaulted by other service people each year in the United States military (US Commission on Civil Rights). The Tailhook scandal in 1991, in which 90 service people were sexually assaulted by United States Navy and Marine Corps personnel, shed light on the harmful epidemic of sexual assault in the United States military, but it still goes on today, over twenty years later. Congress has created several pieces of legislation to crack down on the staggering amount of sexual assault that has been going on for decades. Some of the proposed solutions to stop this problem are extreme, such as removing women from certain combat roles, and others are helpful but inadequate, like Senator McCaskill’s recently passed bill, which makes smaller changes to the current military system of handling sexual assault. But neither of these solutions will eradicate the epidemic of sexual assault in the United States military.
The more extreme victimization of women occurs through gender violence while in service as a soldier. In the United States, the film The Invisible War recognizes that over one fifth of serving women experienced sexual assault and there is nearly no justice system to combat this. One man had raped several women in the service, but still was able to receive congressional medal of honors for his actions and bravery (The Invisible War). This promotes further gender division by having such limited consequences which sends the message that women are not nearly as important as their male counterparts. Women in the service are not the only ones who are being raped and abused; women were used as “comfort” women in World War II to ease the sexual desires of men which is ultimately a legalized form of sex slavery within the military. This further degrades women by objectifying them as objects that can be traded for security. Women
According to the National Gang Center, the change is gangs from 2002-2007: +12% in larger cities, +33% in suburban counties, +27% smaller cities and +24% in rural counties (National Youth Gang Center, 2009). The gang problem in the United States of America has been getting worse since the first gang was formed by Irish immigrants in the early 1800s. For low income and areas with high population, gang involvement with youths has also been getting worse. Regarding gang-related homicides, it is for difficult data collection industries to gather correct information because after a murder is committed it must be determined whether the murder is gang-related or not. But despite that, reports of gang-related murders are concentrated mostly in the large cities in the United States of America. Including San Jose, where there are long standing and persistent gang problems, which mean there are a larger number of documented gang members. There are literally thousands of anti-gang advocacy groups because there are so many concerned parents. These groups support politicians who are working to try to create legislation to reduce the gang problem in the United States of America. There are a number of theories on how to combat the gang problem, but a strategy which rarely fails is to take small steps in progress and continue to move forward.. There will never be a perfect solution that solves every aspect of a problem. But one policy that covers a wide range of issues involving gangs is the United States Constitutional bill S.132, “Gang Abatement and Prevention Act of 2009.” It is the most extensive and sophisticated piece of gang legislation to appear in the last decade, it has many objectives on increasing and enhancing law enforcement resources committed to the investigation and prosecution of violent gangs. It has had more supporters from both parties than any anti-gang bill in the last decade. S.132, “The Gang Abatement and Prevention Act of 2009” has the potential to deter and punish violent gang crime, to protect law-abiding citizens and communities from violent criminals, to revise and enhance criminal penalties for violent crimes, to expand and improve gang prevention programs; it will give jobs back to police officers such as those in San Jose who lost their jobs and will help law enforcement indentify gang crimes to be able to put murderers behind bars faster.
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...
Despoil in the military occurs more often than many civilians believe. It is very important
Military Sexual Trauma, also known as MST. What is it and why is it important? MST refers to psychological trauma resulting from a sexual assault or repeated, threatening harassment experienced during military service (pg. 3). Now, let us take a moment and think about the relevance of this subject? When we think of our women in combat, what do we see? We see strong and courteous females. But have we ever thought about what could be lurking underneath all that armor?
A soldier is one of the most honorable professions in society. These men and women risk their own lives in order to protect the citizens of America. Soldiers take part in selfless acts of fighting for their own country, and such an honorable duty deserves respect. Over the years, statistics have surfaced as soldiers have come forward, claiming to have been sexually assaulted while in the US military. This is not at small number of individuals, 46% of the U.S. military have been sexually assulted.6 The U.S. government needs to take action, to protect these people who have always protected us. The senate needs to pass a legislation that will protect the victims, put the assailants away, and treat the trauma that these individuals have faced.
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.
Washington, et al. (2010) used a matched case-control design in which homeless women veterans in Los Angeles County were each matched with five housed women veteran historical controls. The study identified all women veterans in the housed dataset who had the same starting and ending period of military service (pre-Vietnam era, Vietnam, Post-Vietnam-to-9/11/01, post-9/11/01), were within five years of age, and resided in the Los Angeles area. Interestingly, the study shows that there is a disproportionate representation amongst the homeless and housed female veterans as it relates to race. For instance, Washington, et al shows ~55% black female veterans who are homeless to that of ~36% white females. Likewise, their research indicates 53% white female veterans who are housed to that of 26% black housed females. The female veterans who are homeless verses housed experienced had a greater percentage of sexual assault during their military service (Washington, et al. 2010). Unlike the multivariate regression model used by Fargo, et al., Donna Washington, et al used a multiple logistic regression model with a Monte Carlo algorithm in studying the risk factors for homelessness among women veterans. The homeless subjects were recruited between December 2005 and January 2006, using VA-affiliated and non-VA affiliated homeless service organization contacts. Sixty face to face interviews were conducted (n=30) or
Trauma is defined as “a very difficult or unpleasant experience that causes someone to have mental or emotional problems usually for a long time” (Merriam-Webster). Many veterans experience trauma from the traumatic events they see in war or from the multiple terms they served in. An example of a traumatic event is depicted in an article titled “Caring for Veterans”.
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.
In life, many things are taken for granted on a customary basis. For example, we wake up in the morning and routinely expect to see and hear from certain people. Most people live daily life with the unsighted notion that every important individual in their lives at the moment, will exist there tomorrow. However, in actuality, such is not the case. I too fell victim to the routine familiarity of expectation, until the day reality taught me otherwise.