The number of reported sexual abuse cases in the military is increasing, yet several reports suggest that women lack the resources to cope with their ordeals and are often pressured not to report the crimes, the New York Times reports. There were 2,908 reported cases of sexual abuse involving service members as victims or assailants in the fiscal year that ended in September 2008, up from 2,688 the previous year. In the Middle East, there were 251 cases, compared with 174 the previous year, and in Iraq there were 143 cases, up from 112. The true figures may be higher, as the Pentagon estimates as few as 10% of sexual assaults are reported -- a rate much lower than that in the civilian world. "A woman in the military is more likely to be raped by a fellow soldier than killed by enemy fire in Iraq," Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.) said at a congressional hearing in 2009.
Pentagon officials maintain that sexual abuse in the military is no more rampant than it is in civilian society, and they say that the increasing number of complaints can be attributed to more awareness about abuse and an improved climate that encourages victims to come forward. Sexual crimes are believed to have an especially devastating effect on mission readiness because they harm cohesiveness among troops, according to the Pentagon. Experts attribute the sexual abuse to the increasing number of women serving in combat zones, as well as the strain of battle, the stress of close quarters, boredom and tension among troops. At the same time, these factors can "hinder medical care for victims and legal proceedings against those who attack them," according to the Times.
A Pentagon-appointed task force reported earlier this month that "predators may believe they will not be held accountable for their misconduct during deployment because commanders' focus on the mission overshadows other concerns." Soldiers who experience sexual abuse also said they were reluctant to report crimes for fear of undermining the mission, while others report a fear of retaliation. A Government Accountability Office report published last year found that sexual abuse victims in the military sometimes did not report the attacks "for a variety of reasons, including the belief that nothing would be done or that reporting an incident would negatively impact their careers."
Most sexual abuse allegations in the military do not result in prosecutions. Of 2,171 suspects of sexual abuse in FY 2008, only 317 faced a court-martial, and 515 faced administrative punishments or discharges. Almost half of completed investigations lacked evidence or were deemed "unsubstantiated or unfounded." The Army has increased the number of lawyers and investigators trained to investigate sexual abuse accusations, and larger field hospitals now staff sexual assault nurses. Confidential advisers outside the chain of command also are now available to victims. However, both the GAO and Pentagon task force reports found that remote bases lacked adequate medical and mental health services for sexual abuse victims (Myers, New York Times, 12/28/09).
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