Sexual assault is suddenly not okay.
It has taken years of inappropriate conduct for rape and abuse to finally be brought to national attention. While growing widespread attention to sexual assault is a global phenomenon, the United States Military is a perfectly horrible example of everything that has gone wrong.
Why has it taken so long for the military establishment to seriously address the pattern of sexual assaults? What, exactly, does “zero tolerance” mean when a survey found 26,000 active duty members of the armed forces were sexually assaulted in 2012? High profile cases occurred in 1991, 1996, and 2003, and though the US Military did implement changes, they were systemically insignificant. More importantly, they did not change patterns of behavior nor the handling of victims’ experiences. Even now, military commanders are on the defensive, and are opposed to real change, due in large part to harsh media attention and congressional pressure. General James Amos, commander of the Marine Corps, said the rate of sexual assaults has not improved, but increased because prevention has not been a military priority. He states the system will now change because “it is now” a military priority.
The military faces a media watershed: like bad press on Afghanistan and IEDs, coverage of sexual assault is unlikely to stop even while top officials try to stop up the leak. The American public and its political representatives are now paying attention, as is the world. President Obama has addressed the issue, saying sexual assault “is going to make – and has made – the military less effective than it can be,” while Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) has similarly said the continued issue is “undermining the credibility of the greatest military force in the world.” Still, the current impetus to address the issue does not justify or explain years of silence.
Sudden attention to sexual abuse is a worldwide phenomenon. Many states are dealing with sexual abuse scandals of varying degrees from Egypt in the post-Arab-Spring political upheaval to Brazil and India with shocking examples of public group rape. Other scandals range from the Vatican’s handling of priest abuse in the United States and South America to the increased prevalence of students coming forward and implicating professors, even retroactively. All have been extensively covered by the international press, with headlines like “Politically motivated sexual assault: the Egypt story none want to hear” or “Public Rapes Outrage Brazil, Testing Ideas of Image and Class.” In developing countries with little institutional or systemic support for sexual assault and rape victims, women are loath to report abuse. Resistance to pursuing legal channels makes sense in a reality where societal norms inform judicial decisions and little help is to be had. The United States, on the other hand, has no excuse. Americans must ask themselves what cultural norms our society supports.
Purely due to media prevalence, it seems like sexual assault happens at a much higher rate than ever before. This could be frequency bias, but the survey the military administers every three years on a number of health-related issues shows an increase in reported sexual assaults and surprisingly high rates of unwanted sexual contact. The numbers have been shared in almost every available article on the topic: 11-12 percent of female soldiers and sailors and 17 percent of female Marines were subject to sexual abuse, statistics made worse by the fact that only 15 percent of military assault cases are reported. This is much higher than the national average of five percent of people experiencing sexual assault. These statistics factor into a media shock and awe campaign to garner widespread attention.
Men are not to be overlooked in the trend, however. Although women are much more likely to be sexually assaulted, men serving in the military are commonly subject to sexual assault, sexual bullying, and sexual hazing. Similar to women, there is an expected discrepancy in the data due to men’s unwillingness to be identified as victims. While the current attention to sexual assault highlight’s women’s experience, sexual assault is equally traumatizing for men.
The military cites potential causes of the increasing sexual assault trend towards women, including tension due to austerity cuts and decreasing resistance to reporting sexual assaults. More importantly, the overall percentage of women in the military has remained fairly constant over the years, but women are beginning to hold more prominent positions, sparking resentment among troops. In a country where everyone who claims authority on the topic has debated the merits of female earning power, sexual abuse in the military is the most prominent example of gender backlash. It is the latest example of the war between the sexes over societal roles and functions.
Due to the military’s national penetrability, however, the sexual abuse scandal, much like priestly sexual abuse, has sparked wide notice. The Invisible War, a documentary by Kirby Dick is an intimate and explorative commentary and critique of the US Military’s handling of sexual abuse cases. It serves to reinforce American disillusionment with the ongoing crisis. Many parents, many of whom have served, are increasingly unable to encourage their children to enlist. Kirby cites sexual assault as a primary reason for this hesitation. The film has been used as a countervailing piece of propaganda, in support of Senator Gillibrand’s congressional bills.
Coverage by the Senate Armed Services Committee is much more informative, though in mainstream media tends to turn powerhouses like Senator Gillibrand is when riled. The two bills she has proposed would implement many necessary changes. The first would allow for abortions in military medical facilities, currently a procedure only allowed in the case of rape, incest, or when the woman’s life is endangered. However, such procedures would be paid for out of pocket. The second would change the military’s handling of assault cases, removing the ability for commanders to throw out a verdict and leaving it to military judges to decide when court-martial charges are brought instead of senior officials. Military officers at the Pentagon are unsurprisingly unenthusiastic about taking decision-making power away from commanding officers, but may be forced to make concessions since they face a tough crowd among Senate Democrats and even Senate Republicans such as John McCain (R-AZ).
Earlier this year, sexual assault was, and will likely continue to be a hot topic on Brown’s campus. For most undergraduates, sexual assault can be a nebulous topic; as the BDH put it, “there is little consensus about the definition and role of consent” on campus. Conversely, the Veterans Administration defines sexual abuse as “any sexual activity where you are involved against your will.” This is an important distinction that encapsulates much of Brown students’ descriptions. Many students consider verbal consent as necessary, even for students in a relationship, though students also recognize the ambiguity implicit in relationships and with nonverbal signals.
The University, like the military, experiences a gap in data. Victims are reluctant to come forward, either for lack of acceptance or unwillingness to share their reality of assault. In 2010 nine students at Brown reported sexual assault, while in 2011 only seven did, numbers that are not representative of how many events occur. Surveys show Brown students average close to the national rate of sexual assault, around five percent of students per year. The military rate is slightly higher, at 6.1 percent for women and 1.2 percent for men in 2011.
The time when women, feminists, and other actors can no longer argue the clichéd “people in authority just don’t get it” may be upon us. Perhaps the pressure from politicians and press, as exhibited by the media, is symptomatic of a gradual shift in societal understanding. Perhaps it is not so sudden after all.
After all, even the military is participating in reform. According to the Pentagon Press Secretary, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel is very willing to work with Senator Gillibrand and considers sexual assault a critical matter facing the military. Kirby Dick, director of An Invisible War, is convinced the military “cannot and will not fix the problem on their own,” raising questions of entrenched sexism and traditional views of women’s roles in American society. As with most rape and sexual assault cases, those in the military are often committed by solders’ commanding officers. On a larger scale, as women are integrated into combat roles in the military, these ideologies will undoubtedly impact unit cohesion and efficacy.
The new fight is for better legislation and for better practices. There needs to be measures in place that support a victim through the entire process. At the University, knowing the options – officially reporting the incident, going to the police, getting medical or psychiatric attention – can be a critical step in stopping future sexual assault and helping the victim recover. Brazil and India struggle with sexual predator prosecution within systems that more often blame and punish the victim rather than the aggressor. Similarly the VA is working on improving assistance to the increasing rate of veterans seeking assistance from sexual abuse trauma, numbering 85,000 veterans last year. Across the board, as Anu Bhagwati, executive director of the Service Women’s Action Network put it, “the burden of proof is stacked against sexual trauma survivors.” There should be similar transparency in the other branches of the military.
At least change appears to be in the works in the United States. As Maureen Dowd wrote, “The military brass cosseting predators are on notice. The women of Congress are on the case.” And America is now on the watch.