Sexual Harassment/Assault/Trauma News
Former Head of Marines Sexual Assault and Prevention Unit Joins Protect Our Defenders as CEO In Response to Marines United Scandal
Tuesday, January 9, 2018 | Category: Sexual Harassment/Assault/Trauma - National
Scott Jensen, retired Marine Corps colonel and Marine Corps sexual assault and prevention unit, recently became the Chief Executive Officer for Protect Our Defenders, a nonprofit human rights organization advocating for servicewomen and men. They are focused on military justice reform to ensure an unbiased, more transparent federal agency legal system that operates independently from the civil legal system. They continue to challenge the Department of Defense’s (the largest employer in the world) efforts to recognize, deter, and litigate sexual assault and harassment within their ranks and to protect victims/survivors of sexual assault and harassment from retaliation and retribution. Protect Our Defenders offers pro bono legal services
Protect Our Defenders Released 2017 Annual Report on Sexual Assault in the Military
Wednesday, March 1, 2017 | Category: Sexual Harassment/Assault/Trauma - National
Protect Our Defenders (POD) recently released its 2017 Annual Report, “Harnessing This Tipping Point Moment.” POD states:
“2017 was a pivotal year in the movement to hold perpetrators accountable for sexual violence. More and more survivors came forward and the public listened in a way it hadn’t in the past. As the #MeToo movement grew, so did our national outrage. From Hollywood to the halls of Congress, sexual predators were beginning to at last be exposed and held to account. These institutions had no choice but to respond to public pressure. But while the culture of silence and denial was broken for many, military service members are legally silenced, giving up their freedoms to protect ours.”
POD, established on 2011, is a human rights organization founded and dedicated solely to raise awareness and prevent sexual harassment and violence within the United States military. They pursue change through individual advocacy, public education, and congressional legislative actions.
Taking Military Sexual Trauma Seriously
Tuesday, September 13, 2016 | Category: Sexual Harassment/Assault/Trauma - National
The Orange County Community Court, in 2015, saw 85 percent male and 15 percent female veterans in their "Veterans Treatment Court." Eileen Moore serves as a mentor, primarily with justice-involved women veterans. She shares her observations about the lifelong impact of military sexual trauma (MST), noting that 90-95% of the women veterans she mentored were MST survivors. The court, if for no other reason, is geared toward male veterans because they enter the system at a much higher rate and there is limited monies for the program. She notes that she believes that "the women’s needs are not completely different from the men’s."
DoD Safe Helpline Offers Specialized Support to Sexual Assault Victims
Friday, July 15, 2016 | Category: Sexual Harassment/Assault/Trauma - National
The "Safe Helpline" is the Department of Defense's (DOD) sexual assault hotline. DoD community members affected by sexual assault can access 24/7, secure, confidential, anonymous support through the DoD "Safe Helpline" at https://safehelpline.org, or by calling (877) 995-5247. In 2011, DOD contracted RAINN, the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network, the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization to operate the "Safe Helpline." To date, more than 60,000 sexual assault survivors, family members, and colleagues as well as a million others have accessed information and resources on this website. Other services offered include an online chatroom (Safe HelpRoom) where "survivors of sexual assault in the military can connect with and support one another in a moderated, secure environment." Like the telephone hotline, online helpline and Info by Text services, the Safe HelpRoom is also available 24/7. Additionally, there is a "self-care mobile app" tailored for military sexual assault victims/survivors and accessible anywhere in the world without an internet connection. This app is downloadable free from the iOS and Android app stores.
Senator Gillibrand May 24, 2016 Press Conference to Reintroduce Military Justice Improvement Act
Friday, June 24, 2016 | Category: Sexual Harassment/Assault/Trauma - National
Senator Gillibrand reintroduced the Military Justice Improvement Act along with other senators, Protect Our Defenders, Servicewomen's Action Network, Vietnam Veterans of America, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, and a survivor Samantha Jackson on May 24, 2016, which would take certain criminal offenses including sexual assault out of the military chain of command decision making process and instead, place these complex and difficult decisions in the hands of trained military legal professionals. The reintroduction is made in the context of misleading information the Pentagon provided at Congressional hearings last year. The information led Congress to believe that the military change of command has made significant improvements in the military justice system to ensure allegations of sexual assault were professionally addressed to include the elimination of retaliation against victims and that civilian legal entities were less willing than the military to prosecute sexual assault allegations. Current data reflects that prosecutions are stalled, the judicial process is rife with bias, and a lack of accountability and transparency. Senators continue to seek White House leadership.
Sexual Assault in Military Tied to Veterans' Homelessness
Thursday, April 21, 2016 | Category: Sexual Harassment/Assault/Trauma - National
JAMA Psychiatry published new study results finding that military service members who are sexually assaulted are at a higher risk for homelessness. Males were found to be in greater jeopardy than females. In earlier Department of Veterans Affairs research, more servicemen than servicewomen who were sexually assaulted on active duty more frequently expressed suicidal thoughts and behavior. Department of Defense officials shared that ""Men are less apt to engage in care for sexual assault. And in therapy, it's something you address way down stream. It's not an initial presenting problem." Experts emphasized it is imperative to eradicate sexual assault in the military and that reporting sexual assault be "facilitated, supported and encouraged.”
Senators Call on Obama to Investigate Sexual Assault Cases
Tuesday, April 19, 2016 | Category: Sexual Harassment/Assault/Trauma - National
Two U.S. senators, Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, and Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., are urging President Barack Barack Obama to investigate whether or not "the Pentagon misled Congress with information about sexual assault cases in an effort to undercut support for a Senate bill that senior military officials steadfastly oppose." Both the Associated Press investigation and a "Protect Our Defenders" report "found inaccuracies and omissions in military records that summarized the outcomes of cases prosecuted in military courts."
Pingree Again Fights to Protect Survivors of Sexual Assault Who Seek Security Clearance
Tuesday, April 19, 2016 | Category: Sexual Harassment/Assault/Trauma - National
Drafters of the final version of the national security clearance questionnaire apparently considered the Director of National Intelligence'sil 2013 changes to Question 21 of the Standard Form 86 as provisional. Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (ME-01) is again asking the Director not to force survivors of sexual assault to disclose whether or not they pursued counseling, just as military personnel counseled for combat-related PTSD have long been exempted.
Presidential Proclamation: National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, 2016
Thursday, March 31, 2016 | Category: Sexual Harassment/Assault/Trauma - National
President Obama released his April 2016 "National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month" proclamation. He stated: "And I have directed military leadership to prioritize this issue and equip our men and women in uniform with the knowledge and tools necessary to combat sexual violence. From our military to our schools, and in law enforcement agencies in communities across America, we will keep working to address sexual violence and root it out wherever it exists."
Sexual Assault in America's Military: World Press Photo Contest 2016
Thursday, March 31, 2016 | Category: Sexual Harassment/Assault/Trauma - National
Photojournalist Mary F. Calvert received "1st Prize for Long Term Projects" in the 2016 World Press Photo competition for her moving photo series, "Sexual Assault in America's Military." Mary is committed to using photography to affect meaningful social change and is known for producing work on gender-based, human rights issues.