Sexual Harassment In The United States Armed Forces - Essay Example

Sexual Harassment In The United States Armed Forces According to military law, sexual harassment or assault is defined as deliberate sexual contact associated or characterized by use of threats, force, coercion, or abuse of power, or when the affected military personnel does not want or cannot consent (Suris & Lind 2008). Suris and Lind (2008) further indicate that the irritation of a person unnecessarily, especially in a sexual behavior, is known as sexual harassment. Physical attack on an individual can be exerted in a sexual manner. Such an attack is referred to as sexual assault (Suris & Lind 2008). The perpetrators often use bodily might to compel their victims into involuntary sexual activities. They achieve their goals either through threats or coercion. Sexual violence also involves any unwelcome and non-consensual stroking, touching, or patting of a sexual nature (Kelly, Skelton, Patel & Bradley 2011). This paper seeks to explore the issue of sexual assault of the members of the military in America, and how it affects the victims psychologically and what is being done to stem the issue. This topic is important because; reports on sex assault or sexual harassment in the United States armed forces are up by half this year 2014. Another astounding aspect about the issue is that the Pentagon thinks that the incidences are under-reported. Additionally, leaders at the Pentagon acknowledge that they still have a long way to go in relation to combating the problem. The sexual assault and sexual harassment cases in the military are more common than before (Department of Defense, 2014). According to the co-chair of the Military Sexual Assault Prevention Caucus, as well as the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Subcommittee for Investigations and Oversight, openly admitted that the rising figures is a perfect indication of a serious problem. The research by Kimerling et al (2010) admits that the MST is a serious problem that needs serious efforts to contain. In the report by US Commission on Civil Rights (2013) the issue is treated as worrying and calls on the government to arrest it before it turns into a national disaster. According to US Commission on Civil Rights (2013), though it is hard to give the correct figures, since not all military men and women report them, the available cases are enough to indicate the seriousness of sexual violation within the military. In the military, survivors dread that reporting a case might interfere with the morale of the group. However, from the reported cases, the VA asserts that in general, between 22-27% of women in the military experience sexual assault, while around 11% were raped between 2000 and 2007 (Suris & Lind 2008). Some critics opine that these figures are outdated as there has been an increase of women in the military since the publishing of the report. According to these critics, women are now more involved in missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. As per 2006, statistics indicated that more than 6% of women in active duty were assaulted (Kimerling et al. 2010). The military report on pervasiveness of sexual assault in the force points out that around 3.5% of men in 2010 reported cases of sexual violation (US Commission on Civil Rights, 2013). Some reports show that almost 4% of male officers were assaulted sexually and at least 1% of the male officers were raped in 2003 (Kimerling et al. 2010). A report released in 2006 suggests that more than 1.5% of active duty men were violated sexually (US Commission on Civil Rights, 2013). The numbers reported are probably lower than what is actually happening on the ground, since most officers do not report for fear of stigmatization, retaliation or out of the fear of being ignored. According to the latest figures published by the United States Secretary of Defense, in the 2013 fiscal year, about 5,061 sex assault cases were reported. This was solely for a period which ended in the month of September that year. In the previous year ending in the month of September, about 2700 cases were reported. That represents about fifty percent increase (US Commission on Civil rights, 2013). The increase also means that many people are joining and carrying out the vice. In fact, in an anonymous survey carried out in 2012, it was established that more than twenty six thousand service members had been the victims of an incident of unwanted sexual contact or sexual assault. The sad thing is that only a small percentage of those victimized filed a report or reported and were willing to make follow ups. From observation and reports filled by those who had been victimized, the issue has serious effects. Affected people have been psychologically traumatized, depressed and others have even attempted to commit suicide. With this statistics and effects presented, it goes without saying that the issue of sexual assault in the armed forces is worth investigating. The investigation should not just be restricted to the number of people committing the crime and victims; it should also explore the available laws and deterrence platforms as well as what can be added to successfully stem the issue. In fact, there have been a number of cases in which military officers, including army generals, have been either accused or charged with an array of actions that are classified as sexual harassment or sexual assault. Surprisingly, some of the perpetrators have been unintentionally incorporated in programs that seek to stem out sexual assault and sexual harassment. The positive thing is that the rise in reporting is an encouraging step, possibly signaling that military and legislative changes from the recent past are having a positive effect. This is because it is easier to tackle an issue that is known than that which remains concealed. After identifying the problems, developing all-round solutions will be much simpler. In the military, the term “Military Sexual Trauma” (MST) is used to refer to sexual violation of either male or female officers who are still in service. The Veterans Affairs Department (VA) is liable for contributing towards the welfare of the victims and survivors of sexual trauma through counseling and other related support services to the victims (Suris & Lind 2008). All over the world, there are certain perceptions that people continue living with regarding sexual assault. Contrary to popular opinion, both male and female officers experience sexual assault. The report acknowledges that there is a dominance of male officers in the service and this could give the implication that men may experience sexual assault as much as the women (Kimerling, Street, Pavao, Smith, Cronkite, Holmes & Frayne 2010). Despite many years of Pentagon studies, congressional meetings and task force reports, rape, sexual harassment as well as sexual assault continue to take place at a high rate year in year out. Sexual violence has upsetting, life-long impacts not only service members, but also their family members. Sexual assault in the United States military has grown to such a level that it now can be seen as a threat to self dedication, the readiness, and kills the morale of the affected persons. If it continues unabated, experts argue that it can negatively undermine national security of the United States (Surís & Lind, 2008). According to the United States Defense Department, commonly known as the Department of Defense (DOD), hundreds of unwanted sexual contacts take place in the armed forces each year, yet only a small percentage of those incidences get reported. According to Suris and Lind (2008) military sexual violence comprises incidents of sexual assault and sexual harassment and the vice affects both men and women serving actively in the armed forces, National Guard and Reserves, as well as midshipmen and cadets at the United States military academies. In addition, a tradition of lack of accountability, victim-blaming as well as toxic command climates is rampant throughout the United States Armed Forces. Ultimately, this aspect prevents survivors from reporting perpetrators and incidents from being disciplined properly. The challenge is aggravated by a military legal system which is command-centric and gives army commanders and not attorneys the power to manage and prosecute the criminal judicial system. In addition, services members are prohibited from filing litigations against military service members who either committed these heinous offenses against them or who may have mismanaged their cases. According to Kimerling, Street, Pavao, Smith, Cronkite, Holmes and Frayne (2010) military sexual assault affects both men and women in uniform. From the findings, men have been reported to be the biggest causalities. In fact, more than fifty percent of all reported cases are tied to service men. On top of sexual assault, rape, as well as sexual harassment being associated with an array of mental health problems for both military men and women, they are the major or leading causes of mental conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) amongst military women. PTSD amongst service men is associated with combat trauma. Clancy, Graybeal, Tompson, Badgett, Feldman, Calhoun and Beckham (2006) indicate that sexual violence stands out as major risk factor contributing to homelessness amongst service women and sometimes veterans in general. For instance, depression, stress, as well as other mental health problems connected with military sexual assault, make it more probable that survivors will likely witness high rates of drug-related issues. With this, the survivors have been found to have problems finding alternative work after being discharged from the armed forces. Contrary to common belief, victims are not to blame for their assailants’ behavior even if they were drunk at the time of the assault. While alcohol can increase the chances of sexual assault and make people lose their self-control, it is never an excuse for blaming the victim. Consumption of alcohol by victims is one of the avenues that are used to blame the victims for their predicament. The consumption of alcohol does not give any individual an excuse for assaulting anyone sexually. Some people think that reporting a case of sexual violence is a way of the victim to settle a personal score against a certain individual. However, reports by the VA indicate that almost all reported cased are valid (Kimerling et al. 2010). Another myth is that the victims who do not try to resist the sexual assault were consenting to the sexual act. Survivors have different reasons for obliging to the demands of their attackers. One of them is if they are coerced and threats to their family, reputation or career is made. When victims are threatened with violence, they choose to oblige to the demands of their attackers for their own safety. One of the most common sexual assault is date rape which can happen to anyone; in the military or not. In the military, unlocked barrack rooms and the presence of alcohol form the perfect combination for assaults, which usually occur towards and during the weekends. Most cases reported indicate that many of the assault incidences happen during working hours and at the military working sites. The offenders are usually fellow officers and military bosses. The report released by the VA suggests that the highest rates of sexual assault cases against women in the military happen in the Marine Corps (Clancy, Graybeal, Tompson, Badgett, Feldman, Calhoun & Beckham 2006). Sexual trauma in the military is different as it happens during a mission in service to the country within ones’ ranks, but very unrelated to the mission assigned. Another difference is that in the military, the victims have to live with the presence of their assailants and sometimes they have to rely on their help. It is very hard for a victim of sexual assault to move on with their life if they have to live with the people who abused them. It even becomes harder to report the perpetrator since sometimes they are forced to look up to them for medical or mental health care. While on a mission, victims of sexual assault might find that their lives depend on the very people who violated them sexually. In many instances, the victims are abused repetitively since they cannot be able to talk to anyone about the issue (Clancy et al. 2006). Survivors of sexual trauma worry about their reputation and how their colleagues will view them after they report that they were sexually assaulted. Victims also worry about being misunderstood and blamed for what happened. Many victims of sexual assault have been complaining that even after reporting, their cases were not taken seriously while others were told to maintain their silence on the matter (Kelly et al. 2011). Keeping quiet about sexual assault only aggravates the situation and affects the recovery of the victim. Survivors also fear that reporting a case will mark an end to their military career especially if the perpetrator is in a position to hamper the career advancement of a victim. Reports indicate that only close to one-third of women retain their jobs after an assault. Just as the experiences are different for every victim, so are the effects. The distressing and harrowing experiences that victims endure shatter their dreams and ambitions in life. Victims find it hard to trust other people, themselves and the structures of the military (Clancy et al. 2006). Survivors suffer from sadness and do not take delight in anything. Other victims find it hard to concentrate on their work or remember certain things, hence affecting the quality of their work. Victims also become temperamental after sexual assault. Survivors become easily irritable, constantly angry and experience sudden emotions that they find hard to control. Some victims develop addictions to alcohol or other drugs in an effort to shut out their intense feelings and find solutions for their sleeping problems. Traumatic memories of the sexual assault also haunt the survivors making them feel as if the incidence is happening again. Due to the fear of a recurring experience, survivors may become easily startled by unexpected noises, people walking behind them or being touched without expecting. Experiencing difficulty at work is another outcome of sexual violation. The survivors develop a need to be in control, since their assault incident made them feel powerless. The sudden urge for power and control creates a rift between the survivor and the colleagues and seniors at work (Kimerling et al. 2010). Many victims hold themselves responsible for what happened to them. Many survivors also think about taking their own lives to end their misery and suffering. While some victims experience medical issues like sexually transmitted diseases, others lose interest in sex or develop panic attacks if they attempt to have sex. Some women experience pain during intercourse, while some men are unable to perform (Kelly et al. 2011). Sexual difficulties cause a strain in their personal relationships as the victims are unable to satisfy their partners sexually. In most cases, problems in the relationships begin, and if they do not receive help in time, there arises irreconcilable differences in couples. It is harder for the men to recover from sexual assault than women, since they are unwilling to reach out and seek help. Sexual violence leaves men feeling very vulnerable and they begin to feel overwhelmed by strong emotions of hate, anger and revenge (Kimerling et al. 2010). Male survivors have to deal with issues of legitimacy. The victims fear that nobody will take them seriously. The male victims also deal with masculinity issues since they feel that something must be wrong with them if such incidences can happen to them. Male victims feel that their strength and power is compromised and blame themselves for not being able to fight off their assailants. The men can also begin to doubt their sexual orientation and wonder if people will consider them as being gay. Many of these worries derail the recovery of men from sexual assault recovery and even make the men remain silent about their predicament. Kimerling et al (2010) indicates that female military personnel, who directly or indirectly experienced sexual trauma, are almost four times more likely to suffer from a mental health condition compared to those who have not passed through the same experience. What this means is that even amongst veterans who are deployed in risk areas, when it comes to the risk for experiencing mental health issues, sexual violence or trauma is a momentous risk factor. There are numerous consequences of sexual assault including: insomnia, suicide, PTSD, substance abuse, and depression. Military sexual assault (MSA) is associated with numerous psychological consequences. More particularly, as an interpersonal violation, it is an individual or personal, intentional abuse of personal rights and an individual’s boundaries. In the military context, these violations are specifically disturbing. The military personnel have been violated by someone who should be trustworthy. In addition, these violation and assault are completely discordant with the self-sufficient and independent spirit espoused by the military personnel.   This issue of sexual assault in the military is so troubling that people who have been assaulted others sexually are usually still in service and the victims know them, live with them and work them. In fact, this convergence of work makes it difficult to report and pursue the military sexual assaults. Victims fear to report the sexual assaults due to power differentials. In addition, some fear that with such a move they will be chastised by peers and their jobs would be at risk as well. Military sexual assault is equally troubling to male service members. In fact, a number of Military sexual assault survivors are usually males who have been assaulted sexually by their fellow men. According to Kimerling et al (2010) the psychological costs of military sexual assault are characteristically worse for men in service. A good number of studies have profiled some examples of military sexual assaults. They include although not limited to heterosexual male survivors and particularly relating to their sexual orientation and masculinity. The military sexual assaults are clearly a show of dominance or power. In fact, male survivors usually feel that they are being targeted for either standing out or for being effeminate. Thus, it is imperative to offer psycho-education particularly on male rape issues and emphasize that the assault being carried as not consensual. Providers of care, in this case, need highlight that even if the military sexual assault survivor went through some sexual arousal particularly during the incident, it does not signify willing participation. In addition, even though men service members are usually assaulted sexually by their fellow women less often, the effect is still substantial. As it has been seen previously, psycho-education on the subject is a vital initial step in treatment. Physicians who specialize in mental health are usually advised to strictly follow psycho-education along with Evidence-Based Psychotherapy depending on the stage and functioning aspects. Although the issue looks as if is not being managed. However, in American main, the subject is already on the flour of the senate with some senators suggesting that pornography materials be banned from the military bases. Others have associated the issue with the increased number of women in the military in the recent times. The government, on the other hand, has created a task force to look into the issue. The Victims assault taskforce was created in 2004, after findings showed that there was need for a more centralized agency to help arrest the issue. Eventually, the government formed the Joint Task Force mainly prevention of sexual assaults but the organizations later was changed to the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office (SAPRO). As of now, SAPRO is based in the department of defense and serves as the main point of authority for prevention of sexual assault in the United States military. In addition, the department offers oversight as a way of ensuring that not only the Service's programs, but also individual service members complies with the policies enacted by the department of defense. The program was given approval by the department of defense making permanent all aspects and elements of the military sexual assault policy. As of today, SAPRO is headed by MG. J. Snow. Under his leadership, the organization continues to spearhead efforts to change into action its dedication to prevention of military sexual assault. In addition, this process is widely supported by people from all quarters and levels of government. One of its responsibilities is to create an environment of trust and confidence where every person serving in the military is afforded dignity and respect. However, SAPRO is not alone; the government has also ascended to a number of bills that aim to curb the issue. The bills are mainly meant to extend a VA program of care and counseling services specifically for military sexual trauma. The bills only recognize the sexual assault cases that happened during active duty including veterans who went through such trauma and related experience during inactive duty or during training. Recommendations Directives from different reports include recommendations to advance and successfully sustain an apposite culture within the armed forces to report incidents of sexual assault as well as enhanced efforts to appraise commander training particularly in dealing with the vice. The reports as well calls for a complete assessment of alcohol policies within the military and the Department of Defense in general in order highlight efforts to enhance levels of reporting particularly for male victims, who previously have been believed to be a demographic that is under-reported. Moreover, one of the main reasons why victims do not report is the fear of being victimized by their seniors who also sit on the investigation panels and some are even in military courts. Therefore, victims should be allowed to pursue the cases in civil courts. This may help them to get justice. Suris and Lind (2008) believe that service men and women deserve to be given enough space to work in the armed forces without any fear of whichever kind, may it be the fear of rape, sexual assault or sexual harassment. In addition, the author indicates that military women should also work without fear of reprisal for reporting such barbaric acts. In order to successfully accomplish this, victims or potential victims should be protected better. In addition, there should be a professionalized and unprejudiced process of prosecuting sexual assault crimes. Moreover, the military should increase institutional and individual accountability by permitting service men and women to sue or file lawsuits in civil courts. The department of defense should ensure that Military Sexual Trauma-related services are available at every Veterans Affairs medical center and ensure that every facility has professional knowledgeable about treatment for the effects of sexual trauma. The authorities should also ensure that MST-related counseling is as well as available via community-based Veteran Centers. This is basically to ensure that even soldiers who have left the service still have access those services (Department of Defense, 2014). In other words, the services put up should be designed to meet the needs of Veterans wherever they are at in the process of recovery. However, more research is also needed to document the issue comprehensively. According to the Department of Defense (2014), the issue should be treated casually but more research into the role of the state in relation to the matter should be carried out. Center for Disaese Control (2010) hold that research should also link the military sexual behaviour with other sexually transmited disaeses within the military. Conclusion The discussion was mainly to explore the issue of military sexual trauma, consequences and the efforts being made to contain it. As it has been seen, the issue is serious and this is evident from the statistics or figures reported by different people. In addition, it has been seen that the number of those who report the incidence of sexual assault is much smaller than expected. This means that thousands of those who have been victimized do not report because they fear being reprimanded as most of the incidences are perpetuated by senior officials. This issue has negative impacts on those who have been victimized. In fact, from the discussion, it has been seen that once someone is victimized he or she becomes traumatized and depressed. Some have developed mental illness as result and some have even committed or attempted to commit suicide. However, the government through legislation and other stakeholders are trying their level best to stem the issue. Committees have also been set up to look into the issue and come up with lasting solutions. To curb the problem, it has been suggested that victims be allowed to file their cases in civil courts and also a review of policies at the Department of Defense is needed. Also, the department of defense should make sure that professional services including counseling services are provided ensure that Military Sexual Trauma-related services are available at every medical center that caters to the needs of servicemen and women to help alleviate the problem. References Center for Disease Control. (2010). National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey. Retrieved December 7, 2014, from http://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/pdf/NISVS_Report2010-a.pdf Clancy, C. P., Graybeal, A., Tompson, W. P., Badgett, K. S., Feldman, M. E., Calhoun, P. S., ... & Beckham, J. C. (2006). Lifetime trauma exposure in veterans with military-related posttraumatic stress disorder: association with current symptomatology. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. Department of Defense. (2014, October). Military Sexual Trauma. Retrieved November 7, 2014, from http://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/docs/mst_general_factsheet.pdf Kelly, U. A., Skelton, K., Patel, M., & Bradley, B. (2011). More than military sexual trauma: Interpersonal violence, PTSD, and mental health in women veterans. Research in nursing & health, 34(6), 457-467. Kimerling, R., Gima, K., Smith, M. W., Street, A., & Frayne, S. (2007). The Veterans Health Administration and military sexual trauma. American Journal of Public Health, 97(12), 2160-2166. Kimerling, R., Street, A. E., Pavao, J., Smith, M. W., Cronkite, R. C., Holmes, T. H., & Frayne, S. M. (2010). Military-related sexual trauma among Veterans Health Administration patients returning from Afghanistan and Iraq. American Journal of Public Health, 100(8), 1409. Surís, A., & Lind, L. (2008). Military sexual trauma a review of prevalence and associated health consequences in veterans. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 9(4), 250-269. US Commission on Civil Rights. (2013, September). Sexual Assault in the Military. Retrieved December 7, 2014, from http://www.usccr.gov/pubs/09242013_Statutory_Enforcement_Report_Sexual_Assault_in_the_Military.pdf Read More