News
Report: Hazing fuels male-on-male sex assaults
Friday, May 1, 2015 | Category: Hazing - National
The military's 2014 sexual assault report to Congress was the result of RAND research. Military men suffered more sexual assaults last year than women. Many were male-on-male assaults stemming from hazing incidents rather than sexual aggression and victims more often experienced multiple sexual assault incidents throughout the year at the hands of multiple offenders in daytime hours in their duty locations.
Cultural Support Team Women Serve with Distinction
Wednesday, April 29, 2015 | Category: Combat - International
On April 27, 2015, three female Army Cultural Support Team (CST) members who served overseas in battle alongside U.S. special operators shared their experiences during a panel discussion at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Military lawyers determined that because the women were officially "attached" and not "assigned" to special operations units, they could serve in this combat role.
McCaskill Discusses Sexual Violence Efforts with Fort Leonard Wood Leader
Thursday, April 23, 2015 | Category: Military Justice - National
Russell Strand, the Chief of the Behavioral Sciences Education and Training Division of the Military Police School at Fort Leonard Wood met with U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill to discuss strategies to combat sexual violence. He is a pioneer of victim-centered interview strategies allowing investigators to effectively collect evidence without re-traumatizing victims.
Defense Secretary to Troops: I Need You to Say ‘Enough’ to Sexual Assault
Wednesday, April 22, 2015 | Category: Sexual Harassment/Assault/Trauma - National
Secretary of Defense Carter noted that the Pentagon implemented more than 100 Congressionally-mandated provisions, along with its own directives. The estimated number of assaults decreased as assault reports increased. At least 18,900 service members--10,400 men and 8,500 women--experienced “unwanted sexual contact.”
DAV Calls for Congress to Set Firm Deadlines to Create Equitable Services for Women Veterans
Tuesday, April 21, 2015 | Category: Health Care - National
DAV's report, Women Veterans: The Long Journey Home, identified significant service gaps for women veterans across the federal landscape in health care services, housing options for homeless women veterans, transition assistance, employment, community support services, and specialized mental health services for survivors of sexual assault.
Changes to Sexual Assault Investigations
Monday, April 20, 2015 | Category: Military Justice - National
Article 32 hearings was one of the most significant changes involving how allegations of sexual offenses are investigated. Article 32 hearings are the military's version of grand jury proceedings. These changes were included in the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2014, which took effect December 26, 2014.
Exposing Untold Stories of Military Sexual Trauma
Monday, April 20, 2015 | Category: Sexual Harassment/Assault/Trauma - National
The non-profit #NoLongerVictims (Confessions of a MST) is dedicated to raising awareness about military sexual trauma (MST). They are stringing untold sexual assault stories from 1975-2012 across a bridge in front of San Diego naval base. Some assaults happened while veterans were on deployment in Afghanistan or Bahrain.
Scripps Washington Bureau Wins Peabody Award for Military Sex Offender Series
Monday, April 20, 2015 | Category: Military Justice - National
In 2014, Scripps national correspondent Mark Greenblatt released his 10-part "Under the Radar" (http://www.scripps.com/undertheradar) investigative series. After reviewing more than 1,300 military courts-martial cases, he 'uncovered at least 242 convicted military rapists, child molesters, and other sex offenders who had slipped through what a member of the House Armed Services Committee called a "gaping loophole" in the system. The flaw allows sex offenders to stay off public sex offender registries when they leave the brig, freeing them to re-offend.'
Inside the Military Program That Put Women in Combat
Sunday, April 19, 2015 | Category: Combat - National
Ashley White, aka "Little White," is one of the Cultural Support Team (CST) women in Gayle Tzemach Lemmon's book, “Ashley’s War: The Untold Story of a Team of Women Soldiers on the Special Ops Battlefield.” Lemmon chronicles this groundbreaking team's accomplishments and the history of shadow women warriors in the US military. On January 1, 2013, the official ban on women in combat was lifted. Female Cultural Support Teams in prior years were called "Field Engagement Teams" and "Lioness Teams." By January 1, 2016, the Special Forces will admit women or explain their exception request to the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs who will make the final decision.
Aberdeen Proving Ground Opens Sex Assault Resource Center
Thursday, April 16, 2015 | Category: Sexual Harassment/Assault/Trauma - National
A Sexual Harassment and Assault Response and Prevention Centeropened in January to house three advocates who guide victims through the process of reporting assaults or harassment.