J'accuse! Via nicoletbn @ Flickr.
Wednesday, statistics were released staying that reports of rape in the US armed forces rose in the last year by approximately 9%, to nearly 3,000. Up about 25% in combat zones. And yeah, those are just the ones that were reported; this story from Voice of America notes that DoD officials realize that 80% of rapes go unreported.
A quick little bit of math: if 3000 (rounding for ease: “Math is Hard!” sez Barbie) is 20% of all the sexual assaults/rapes in the military, that means that there were more likely 15,000 attacks during fiscal year 2008. During that same period, only 317 of the cases were referred to trial.
Review: Possibly 15,000 attacks. Approximately 3000 reported. 317 courts-martial. What the fucking fuck.
These numbers came out of a study done by the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office (SAPRO) within the Department of Defense.
Not having any direct experience of the military, I don’t know if it is worse than the larger culture about sexual violence (and I wasn’t able to find numbers for the same period of time), although I would guess so, since it is more sex segregated, with greater numbers of men than women, and even more rigidly hierarchical, which I believe–but cannot prove–more readily allows for situations were sexual assault and rape can occur. There’s also the possibility that the military actually attracts the kind of guy who, drawn to the promise of violence, dominating others, and other “ultra-masculine” (scare-quotes definitely required) ideas about sex, gender, and power, is more likely to commit sexual assault.
I don’t know if it’s worse that there has to be a SAPRO, or that it’s only been in place since 2007, to be “the single point of accountability” on issues of sexual assault for the Department of Defense. I do know that this is fucking unacceptable.
I heard on NPR (yesterday? day before?) that the rate of suicide of enlisted men and women is now for the first time greater than the suicide rate for the civilian population. We are destroying these people with the years on end they are being asked to serve. Its really unprecedented.
Take a bunch of young, macho, dominant, mostly emotionally immature men. Put them in positions of almost absolute power, isolated from any social constraints and answerable to practically no one. Add stress, fear, anger, sleep deprivation and a sense of invincibility.
Okay, now add a couple women.
You don’t have to be a licensed clinical psychologist to figure out what will happen. So why the fuck hasn’t the Army?
Seems like the military has a “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy for rapists, too. Nice.
bluebears, I missed that report, but there are plenty of stories online about those suicide rates going back to last year, like this one, from September ’08.
@sarah: Rapists, meh. Just don’t let them be TEH GEIGH!
PhD: ugh. The emotional damage being done is staggering and if people think these people will simply be fine and reabsorb back into our society upon return they are kidding themselves. this is a problem we will be dealing with for decades.
So…you’re saying we should be declaring war on American men, rather than foreign “insurgents?”
I think SAPRO is positive (if way, way, way too late). Even the best societies need to have accountability structures in place for offenders of order and rightness. In many if not most cases I believe systems change before cultures do.
I was watching a rerun of What Not to Wear just last night that made me think of this issue. It was a “best transformations” episode that featured a woman who had served in both Iraq and Afghanistan — a gorgeous lady, mother, and psychiatrist who dressed like she was trying to hide herself all the time. Clinton and Stacey finally managed to get her into some cute clothes, but when they jokingly started complimenting her booty, she started crying. She ‘fessed up to having serious issues with allowing herself to look (or even feel) attractive, to attracting attention, etc. I literally said out loud to my fiancé, “Of COURSE she doesn’t want to draw attention to her looks — she was in the fucking Army, she was probably afraid she’d get raped if she allowed herself to look like a woman at ALL.”
So damn sad.
kivrin, it is terribly sad, but I have to say, really REALLY loudly: WHAT YOU LOOK LIKE HAS NO BEARING ON WHETHER OR NOT YOU ARE RAPED. If we go down the road of saying “attractive women are more likely to be raped,” then it’s a verrrrry short leap to “rape is a compliment.” Which it ain’t.
I probably didn’t phrase my original post very well, because that is not at ALL what I meant to imply. The woman in the issue had major problems with her body, with drawing attention to herself, with dressing “cute,” etc. She wanted to hide her body all the time. I was extrapolating that, in the Army, she probably adopted a manner of carrying herself (beyond just the uniform) that allowed her to be as inconspicuously female as possible.
*the woman in the episode, sorry
Okay, Kivrin, I’m glad to hear that.
[...] “Military women are more likely to be raped by a fellow soldier than killed by enemy fire in I… – [...]
Women soldiers always need to be aware of their surroundings no different than women anywhere. More importantly women need to report sexual harassment or intimidation asap as it is usually a precursor to an assault or rape. Know how and to whom to report these incidences. So what if there is a military investigation. It it better than rape. Get the info out. Tell family too.
I’m active duty, have been for three years and will be for three more before I’m allowed to leave. I’m 23. And it’s true, for the most part it is don’t ask don’t tell and the hot lines we have for calling and reporting sexual assult allow us to NOT have charges brought against the attacker even if we KNOW who it is.
Makes you wonder why someone would not want to press charges, right? Can you think of a reason? I can. I figured it out the first year I was in.
And the saddest part my dear ladies is that I will admit that some of the harshest words of criticism I’ve had the sadness of over-hearing being directed toward the VICTIMS is from fellow women in uniform. It’s not just “men with a kill-all” mind frame. You get women with something to prove too. I’ve had to work with them and hear the comments. I don’t look at all scary or military-like and at an amazing 5′ 7 and 120 pounds I’m aware that I inspire scorn from my tougher female counter parts and I scream easy target towards some men. The SARC office (sexual assult response centers) we have in the air force are also tragically behind.
[...] the stats on how many get raped or assaulted is enough to turn your stomach. I recall browsing an old post of the Harpies that stated the [...]
It’s not just the military. As white male dominance wanes we have to address the issue of violent masculinity as a social problem.
Not only is this stat true – but even more shocking are the rates of violent crime committed by one gendered half of the society but talked about as total societal issue. Women continue to make less and pay more in taxes to put away these men who would be their potential attackers – all the while making sure they do not become victims of those who aren’t in jail yet.
We’ve come a long way with inequities – but more than 90% of violent crime being committed by 48% of the population has to stop.
What happened to the word gentlemen?
These women in the millitary that are raped are not only victims of their peers, yet also of their superiors.And few leaders in position give voice to this topic. No matter how accomplished or high in the ranks these abusers of women need to pay the consequences.
How can they be fighting and defending the citizens from America when they are the ones initiating attacks on the several ladies in uniform that join them to help the American cause.
This is not only a concern to women in the millitary or in general women, it also a great concern to fathers,brothers, husbands, and sons.
As for the men in the millitary, strive to be a gentleman and not a scoundrel towards the ladies who are equally in duty serving our country.