News
Senate Panel Backs Military Retirement Change, Troop Pay Raise of 1.3%
Wednesday, May 13, 2015 | Category: Legislation - National
This Senate Armed Services Committee Personnel Subcommittee legislation mark up supports a 401(k)-type military retirement plan by 2017, lower pay raises, higher TriCare pharmacy co-pay fees an slowing growth of housing allowances. The legislation would also modify courts-martial rules to protect sexual assault special victims' counsels from receiving unfavorable evaluations as a form of retaliation and authorize them to assist sexual assault survivors in filing complaints to inspectors general and members of Congress.
House of Cards Creator Beau Willimon Wants to Put an End to Sexual Assault
Tuesday, May 12, 2015 | Category: Sexual Harassment/Assault/Trauma - National
Beau Willimon is a sexual-assault advocate. He became particularly interested in the subject after watching "The Invisible War," documentary that inspired the "House of Cards" military sexual-assault storyline. “I grew up on naval bases. That sort of crime was going on without me being aware. It was shocking,” he says. Mr. Willimon will speak with others at "Slut: The Play," which is focused on the sexual shaming of girls amongst their peers as early as 10 and 11 years old.
Stop Assaults on Military Campuses
Tuesday, May 12, 2015 | Category: Sexual Harassment/Assault/Trauma - National
Student members of a Yale Law School legal clinic representing the Service Women’s Action Network, founded in 2007 by female veterans of the Marine Corps and the New York Army National Guard, offer an opinion about why military service academies tolerate sexual harassment and assault. They suggest that part of the problem is that the military service academies are not subject to Title IX which requires almost all American schools that receive federal money to eliminate sex discrimination, including sexual violence.
Editorial: Sexual Assault in the Military
Monday, May 11, 2015 | Category: Sexual Harassment/Assault/Trauma - National
In the Department of Defense's 2014 workplace survey, 76% of servicewomen and nearly 50% of servicemen surveyed said sexual harassment is common or very common. Few victims report assaults, distrusting the system to receive fair treatment. The Pentagon's numbers reflect an average of 52 service members receive unwanted sexual attention every day. Zero tolerance was first promised in 1992 by then-Defense Secretary Dick Cheney.
Audit: Air Force Sexual Assault Teams Skipped Training, Missed Background Checks
Saturday, May 9, 2015 | Category: Sexual Harassment/Assault/Trauma - National
According to an April 2014 audit, Air Force personnel selected to work with victims of sex assault were not properly trained or did not have background checks before beginning their assignments. 1,435 of about 2,500 sex assault response coordinators and victim advocates had deficient records lacking either deficient background checks or missed training.
How Can We End Homelessness Among Female Veterans?
Wednesday, May 6, 2015 | Category: Housing/Experiencing Homelessness - National
A recently released report offers a four-pronged approach to address homelessness among female veterans. The University of Southern California Center for Innovation and Research on Veterans & Military Families and the Jonas Center for Nursing and Veterans Healthcare, conducted the research resulting in a call to action for government organizations, non-governmental agencies and philanthropic entities to collaborate and provide resources to fill the gaps that make women veterans vulnerable to homelessness.
Survey Shows Decline in Military Sexual Assaults
Monday, May 4, 2015 | Category: Sexual Harassment/Assault/Trauma - National
The 2014 RAND Military Workplace Study reflected a decline to an estimated 18,900 servicemembers who experienced unwanted sexual contact in 2014, down from around 26,000 in 2012. The percentage of active-duty women who experienced unwanted sexual contact during the past year declined from 6.1 percent in 2012 to an estimated 4.3 percent in 2014 and for active-duty men, from 1.2 percent in 2012 to 0.9 percent in 2014.
Report: Hazing fuels male-on-male sex assaults
Friday, May 1, 2015 | Category: Hazing - National
The military's 2014 sexual assault report to Congress was the result of RAND research. Military men suffered more sexual assaults last year than women. Many were male-on-male assaults stemming from hazing incidents rather than sexual aggression and victims more often experienced multiple sexual assault incidents throughout the year at the hands of multiple offenders in daytime hours in their duty locations.
Cultural Support Team Women Serve with Distinction
Wednesday, April 29, 2015 | Category: Combat - International
On April 27, 2015, three female Army Cultural Support Team (CST) members who served overseas in battle alongside U.S. special operators shared their experiences during a panel discussion at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Military lawyers determined that because the women were officially "attached" and not "assigned" to special operations units, they could serve in this combat role.
McCaskill Discusses Sexual Violence Efforts with Fort Leonard Wood Leader
Thursday, April 23, 2015 | Category: Military Justice - National
Russell Strand, the Chief of the Behavioral Sciences Education and Training Division of the Military Police School at Fort Leonard Wood met with U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill to discuss strategies to combat sexual violence. He is a pioneer of victim-centered interview strategies allowing investigators to effectively collect evidence without re-traumatizing victims.