Sexual assault in the modern societies is a major problem that has those communities grappling with the harsh realities of its existence and manifestation. Sadly, the same state of affairs is witnessed in the military which a lot of civilians are in awe of. This is so since one would think that the army is supposed to be free of any wrongdoing given that they are responsible for protecting the civilians. Sexual assault in the military is, however, a thorny issue which the US federal and state governments’ legal and judicial systems in a complicated scenario. Sexual assault in the Army has a lot of negative impacts on the force, but various interventions can be very useful in addressing the root causes to this menace.
Background information on sexual assault in the military
The Department of Defence describes sexual assault as a deliberate sexual act, characterized by the use of intimidation, threats, and misuse of authority, force and without the victim's consent. This term covers an array of sexual offenses including sexual assault, rape, abusive sexual contact, heightened sexual contact and non-consensual sodomy (Cernak, 2015). Military sexual assault refers to as unwarranted sexual advances and acts that happen within the military setting. The victims, in this case, are majorly females or first timers who have not yet the art of negotiation and self-defence. Some bad elements in the military who feel that they can have anything they want to take advantage of junior officers in an attempt to make statements.
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Root causes of Sexual Assault in the Military
Sexual assault in the military stems from various factors which are social, economic or geographical in nature. These causes are as follows:
Past Sexual Abuse Experiences
Officers working in the military services are of the society where they may have been victims of sexual assault. Consequently, these past sexual trauma experiences according to research studies tend to contribute to a reoccurrence of sexual assault in the military. According to Castro et al. 2015), there is a likelihood of higher rates of both childhood and adolescent sexual abuse among the army officers as compared to the civilians. This rate of childhood and adolescent sexual abuse ranges from 15 to 49 percent for the women officers and 1.5–22.5 percent for the male personnel in the military. These rates can be considered high, and one would want to know the rationale behind the many abused individuals serving in the military.In 2012 Department of Defence data revealed that six percent of men and thirty percent of female service members made reports of pre-military sexual which are a high number (Castro et al., 2015). Further findings indicate that service men and women with a previous history of sexual abuse have a likelihood of being sexually abused to up to 2-5 times.
Gender Stereotyping
Gender stereotyping is an aspect where members of a particular gender are branded with similar characteristics without putting all of them on a scale. Usually, the stereotyping is misguided and can have far reaching negative connotations and implications. The military is largely a patriarchal organization which is dominated by such values as leadership, formality, emotional control, rank and camaraderie. Additionally, a lot of importance is linked to ideas considered masculine which is all about displaying aggression, dominance, and risk-taking. Furthermore, the military is overwhelmed with notions of competition which may not augur well, with females in the military who want to rise in ranks as their male counterparts. Consequently, such competition has been linked with those men who feel threatened by their women colleagues and would want to put them down through assaulting them sexually. Furthermore, officers affiliated to homosexuality may be targets of rape since there is a very limited chance of reporting the crime. The military continuosly employs the usage of gendered and sexualised language where the ter to asm faggots or girls refer to recruits which paint them as sexual objects and therefore warranting sexual abuse.
Alcohol
Use of alcohol within the military settings is a major contributor to sexual assault within the military. Alcohol as per research studies has the ability to increase the risk of sexual violence with statistics from Department of Defence indicating that almost half of the sexual assault cases in 2005 were as a result of alcohol (Castro et al., 2015). Additionally, in this instance, when either the victim and perpetrator or both consume alcohol, there is a significant likelihood of sexual assault. This is so because alcohol tends to heighten sexual excitement and one would be misinterpreted to mean that he or she is making sexual invitations.
Impact of Sexual Assault in the Military
Sexual assault is a harsh reality that cannot be wished away and has had far reaching positive effects which are detrimental on the image of the US military. The victims and perpetrators of sexual assault find themselves on the losing end as they try to hide face and try to go on with day to day activities. The American citizens heavily rely on the military forces to offer security services, but their hopes become ruined when the same people whom they entrust their lives too are responsible for hurting others. The impact of sexual assault in the military is not only felt by the American citizens only but by the federal government agencies as well. The federal government through its agencies spends vast sums of money in handling sexual assault cases in the military. This money is devoted to investigations, replacements, and rehabilitation of victims who are likely to suffer post-traumatic stress disorder.
The impacts of sexual assault on the victims may be devastating since it affects their physical and psychological health. In addition, this sexual assault may, in the long run, have an impact on an individual’s military career and considerable success once the person leaves the military. Consequently, there is a linkage between the post-traumatic disorder emanating from sexual assault and substance abuse, depression and eating disorders which can cause other ailments in the long run. More so the military sexual assault victims find it hard to make a transition back into the civilian life, and many may end up homeless and desperate becoming a social and national burden.
Solutions to Sexual Assault in the Military
Sexual assault in the military has a lot of negative impacts on the victim, perpetrator and the society as general hence the need to provide solutions to end this problem. The solutions are either from national authorities or within the military divisions and include the following:
Bystander Intervention Training
The military commanders and other stakeholders recently implemented bystander intervention strategy so as to bring about a reduction in the magnitude of sexual assault cases. Bystander intervention training focuses on establishing and addressing climates which are likely to encourage and conceal sexual assault cases (Castro, 2013). The guiding principles of bystander intervention training are the fact that most of the sexual assault cases tend to occur in people who are known to each other as opposed to strangers. In addition, it is possible to establish behaviour is likely to result in sexual assault and consequently intervening before the act happens (Castro, 2013). As a consequence of this intervention strategy, the probability of decreased sexual assault cases is actually possible, and there is hope that this trend may end altogether.
Command Training
Commanders in the military are responsible for setting te climate I the various military divisions and units they are assigned to. These commanders are able to set ground rules which guide the officers on how they are supposed to relate to each other to create a safe and conducive environment where every officer respects the others (Castro, 2013). This kind of control ensures that the officers do not overindulge in behaviours that are likely to lead to sexual assault. More so the command training emphasizes on the role of commanders as being totally accountable to harassment and assault cases in their units. The commanders undergo further training on ways of preventing and responding to sexual assault if it happens to avoid much publicity which can be a cause of post-traumatic stress disorder in the victims.
In conclusion, sexual assault in the Army has adverse effects in the military force, the society and the nation in general. Sexual assault is defined as intentional sexual, characterized by the use of intimidation, threats, abuse of authority, force and without the victim's consent. This social phenomenon has its root cause in past sexual abuse experiences, gender stereotypes, and alcohol which contributes to over half of all sexual assault cases in the military among others. Sexual assault contributes to post-traumatic stress disorder which is as a result of an individual to adjust to civilian life. Moreover, addressing sexual assault in the military is possible and its occurrence reduced through bystander training intervention where people learn to foresee an attempt of sexual assault and stop it early enough. In addition, command training equips commanders in military units with the knowledge of mitigating sexual assaults in their units to reduce their occurrences.
References
Castro, C.A. et al. (2015). Sexual Assault in the Military. Curr Psychiatry Rep, 17(54), 1-13 . DOI 10.1007/s11920-015-0596-7.
Castro, M.R. (2013). Sexual Assault in the Military: U.S. Commission on Civil Rights 2013 Statutory Enforcement Report. US Commission on Civil Rights. Retrieved from http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/us-commission-on-civil-rights-announces-2013-statutory-enforcement-report-and-briefing-on-sexual-assault-in-the-military-175429331.html.
Cernak, S. (2015). Sexual Assault and Rape in the Military: The Invisible Victims of International Gender Crimes at the Front Lines. Michigan Journal of Gender and Law, 22(1):207-241.
