Stopping sexual assaults - Army Community - Army Discussions - Army Times

Stopping sexual assaults

In recent years, senior Defense Department leaders often have spoken of their commitment to preventing and responding to sexual assault in the ranks.

But a new congressionally mandated report shows a serious gap between the rhetoric at the top and reality at the unit level.

Reported sexual assaults in the ranks rose from 1,700 in 2004 to 2,908 in 2008, although defense officials argue that is due in part to new policies that encourage more victims to come forward.

But the new 176-page report — based on 15 months of work by a 10-member task force — said funding for response and prevention efforts continues to be “sporadic and inconsistent,” creating the impression that senior leaders do notview this as a top priority.

The task force also said the program could be improved in ways that don’t require much money — such as a change in military law to allow privileged communications between victims and victim advocates, as is policy in 35 states.

The military grants victims confidential, privileged communications only with chaplains or lawyers.

The task force said it deters victims from coming forward for fear of harming their careers if the chain of command gets involved — and troops see even chaplains and lawyers as part of that chain.

This is supported by periodic troop surveys that indicate a higher rate of sexual assaults in the ranks than is reflected in the number of reports filed.

The top concern of any response policy should be ensuring that the victims get help. Expanding confidential communications to victim advocates is a simple, cost-effective step toward that goal.