Rape in the Military

Paper Summary:

In 1997, the United States was made aware of the growing problem of severe sexual harassment or rape within the military. The figures given in that year by the Army panel tell us that 47 per cent of the female troops polled reported that they had experienced "unwanted sexual attention," 15 per cent had experienced "sexual coercion," and 7 per cent had been victims of "sexual assault." This paper examines this epidemic and shows what the military is doing to rectify the problem. It looks at individual cases of women who filed complaints against the military and argues that the Pentagon must work harder to protect its women soldiers who are ultimately fighting to protect the country.

From the Paper:

"The army has been praised for having specific sexual harassment policies in place; however, these policies have not actually prevented the crime from occurring. There are, as always, reasonable explanations given for the army's failure. First, rape is a tough crime to investigate and an even tougher one to prove. Sadly, budget pressures have gutted the army's rape-prevention programs and decimated the office responsible for monitoring sex-related misconduct. Officers at the Pentagon, who feel guilty by the army's good press on sexual-harassment issues, also probably let their guard down. Senior field commanders are consumed by the need to maintain combat readiness and may sometimes be too willing to believe that a woman who cries rape actually consented to have sex. While some of these reasons may sound valid, they are still excuses."

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