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There is an ongoing problem with sexual harassment and sexual assault in the U.S. military. This is evidenced by a series of scandals that have received extensive media coverage.
Sexual harassment is unwelcome or threatening verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature. Sexual assault is intentional sexual contact (unwanted touching or grabbing, oral or anal sex, sexual penetration with an object, or sexual intercourse) without consent. The Department of Veterans Affairs uses the term Military Sexual Trauma (MST) to refer to sexual assault or harassment involving a female or male service member while in the military.
According to a 2011 Newsweek report, women are more likely to be assaulted by a fellow soldier than killed in combat. The Department of Defense estimates there are about 19,000 sexual assaults in the military per year. However, according to the latest Pentagon statistics (2013), only 1,108 troops filed for an investigation during the most recent yearly reporting period and during that period, only 575 cases were processed. Of the cases processed, only 96 went to court martial. Another investigation found that only 1 in 5 females and 1 in 15 males in the United States Air Force would report having been sexually assaulted by service members. The Pentagon has estimated that 80% to 90% of sexual assault cases go unreported.
Sexual assault and harassment are among the most serious violations a person can experience. While these are criminal offenses punishable under the Uniform Code of Military Justice and other federal and local civilian laws, these issues continue to adversely affect the military, its reputation, and its personnel. Sexual assault and harassment impact mission readiness and undermine the military’s core values. It is a crime, literally and figuratively, that men and women in the armed forces may fall victim to sexual assault and harassment. In fact, incidents of sexual assault and harassment in the military are higher than in civilian populations and seem to increase during wartime. Sexual assault and sexual harassment are traumatic events. Like other kinds of trauma, sexual assault and harassment often negatively impact the survivors for years after the event.
Part of what causes such cognitive dissonance for service members is that they may hold the expectation of facing trauma only in the line of duty. Coming under fire from an enemy is something for which they train and prepare but sexual assault or harassment is an entirely different event. It is so because it occurs during military service but comes from within your own ranks, and has nothing to do with achieving the mission. Military assault and harassment is also different because survivors may find it difficult to find any reprieve or distance from the perpetrator. In the military, survivors often live, work, and/or may be forced to rely on their perpetrators. This is largely due because in the military, survivors often live and work with their perpetrators, therefore making it more difficult to put the event behind them. It is not atypical for survivors to have to continue to live and work with their attackers, keeping a secret they believe that cannot be reported because it could be career ending. If the assault occurs in a war zone, the survivor’s life may literally be in the hands of the person who assaulted them.
Historically, for those in the military who have reported sexual trauma, survivors in the military say that they were not believed or ordered not to repeat or report the event. Some have also said that they were blamed for what happened. Being silenced can leave a survivor of sexual trauma feeling extremely isolated in a time of real need. Sexual trauma can affect a person’s mental and physical health for years.
There are many potential consequences of sexual trauma, a short list includes:
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Strong emotions
- Emotional numbing
- Problems with alcohol or drugs
- Sleep problems
- Difficulty with attention, concentration, and memory
- Upsetting memories
These are all normal reactions to sexual trauma that should be addressed. These symptoms will routinely interfere with daily functioning, relationships, and work.
The military has a very clear policies, rules, regulations, and codes of conduct. Unfortunately, these rules, regulations, and codes of conduct, which are well known throughout each branch of service, are not enough to stem the tide of increasing occurrences and new disclosures of sexual misconduct. Policies limit behavior and culture drives behavior. The problem is not with the rules, it’s with the culture.
Organizational culture includes the behavioral norms that are not only permitted, but are required, based on the behavior of others. There is a great deal of research that supports the notion of “social proof” — the fact that in an organization, people will take their lead or cues about what actions to take behaviorally from organizational culture, regardless of the policy or stated behavioral guidelines.
Military culture has a long and proud history that has served this country, each branch of service, and its soldiers well. The bond that is forged between soldiers on the battlefield is unlike any other in human relations. These bonds extend to members of the same service even if there were not on the battlefield together, often because they are tied together by common experience. These bonds even extend to members of different services because the understand the concept of “completing the mission.” These are the components of military culture that will and should continue to thrive.
Another piece of military culture could be described as “protect our own.” While it is part of what creates the aforementioned strength of culture, too much of a good thing is no longer a good thing. It is this piece of military culture that protects attackers and perpetrators of sexual assault. It is the belief that may give way to this thought: because this perpetrator is within the military, we can keep him or her from reoffending. Unfortunately, this places the focus on saving/rescuing the perpetrator rather than the survivor.
There are four cultural shifts that need to occur:
1. Extend the sense of connection that exists between military members on the battlefield to situations off the battlefield. To put in words: “If it is my job to do everything within my ability to protect those on my team on the battlefield, that responsibility does not end because we have stepped off the battlefield.” Therefore, sexual harassment and assault is a grievous assault on the core culture to protect one another.
2. Empower every member of the military to use five simple words: “We don’t do that here.” This would become a “safe harbor” statement. This would mean that any member — at any rank and any level — could use these words in an effort to dissuade any other member from discussing, considering, or behaving in a manner that could constitute a potential assault. These words could also serve to remind potential perpetrators that they are connected to an organization of honor that is larger than themselves, adding another piece to the military’s shared common language.
3. “Protecting our own” must be more clearly defined, behaviorally, as supporting those who eat, breath, and live the values of the military. Those who violate military code and culture should not be protected and therefore benefit from that code and culture.
4. Focus must shift from protecting the perpetrator to protecting the survivors of sexual harassment and assault. While civilians may not understand the military culture, they can offer a more open, non-insular view on how to proceed in creating cultural change and treatment for survivors of sexual harassment and assault.
Sources
- Sexual Violence Victims Say Military Justice System is Broken. Article written by NPR March 21, 2013.
- Ellison, Jesse (3 April 2011). The Military’s Secret Shame. Written by Newsweek April 3, 2011.
- Sexual Assaults on Female Soldiers: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Article written by Time Magazine March 8, 2010.