Inching forward against military sexual assault

U.S. legislators voted Wednesday to help stanch the overwhelming problem of sexualized violence in the armed forces, Reuters reports. The Armed Services Committee of the House of Representatives backed legislation that would “strip military commanders of their ability to overturn convictions for rape and other sexual assault,” by voting to include a plan in the National Defense Authorization Act. The idea is to make it easier for victims of sexualized violence to come forward while decreasing the threat of retaliation from superiors in the chain of command.

Military service chiefs testify about sexualized violence in the military before the Senate Armed Services Committee in Washington. Amid a flurry of recent reports, members of Congress and citizens have told military higher-ups that they are not doing enough. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Teddy Wade)

As we’ve reported previously, the U.S. government admits that more than 20 percent of female veterans have been sexually assaulted while serving in the Army—that’s 500,000 women over the last 20 years. And as Helen Benedict writes, even Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, acknowledged that “second-class status of women” in the military is linked with high rates of sexual assault.

But top brass are not taking the military-rape epidemic seriously enough, George Zornick writes in The Nation. Joint Chiefs Chair Dempsey, Zornick reports, admitted during the Armed Services Committee hearing on Tuesday that once the operations in Iraq and Afghanistan started, dealing with sexual assault got pushed aside. “I took my eye off the ball,” Dempsey said.

Recently, several military men who are themselves in charge of investigating sexualized violence in their ranks have been accused of sexualized violence. One, Lt. Col. Jeffrey Krusinski, chief of the Air Force’s sexual-assault prevention branch, has been charged with sexual battery. Another, a Fort Hood Army sergeant in charge of sexual abuse prevention, is now under investigation for “assault and forced prostitution,” CBS reports. Activists cite both cases as examples of the twisted ways in which military sexualized violence has gone unchecked.

Sen. John McCain, with his well-known military past, said at the congressional hearing that he could not at this time give his unconditional support for women to join the army. “I cannot overstate my disgust and disappointment over continued reports of sexual misconduct in our military,” McCain said. “We’ve been talking about this issue for years and talk is insufficient.”

As for the defense appropriations bill with new proposed measures, the full House of Representatives is expected to vote next week.