Sexual assault within the military is far too common than what we would wish to believe. For 1,000s of people this is a reality. There have been many sexual assault complaints filed within each branch of the military, but for some their voices are not being heard. This is an ongoing problem that many survivors face. What this article states are that many of the special victims have not been appointed properly trained attorneys and the percentage in each branch is unbelievable. The highest being The Air Force with 94% of cases not having trained representation that specializes in special victims of abuse and sexual assault. Many of the victims do not win their cases and the abusers walk away free. This has been an ongoing investigation for the last two years where 100,000 people reported being sexually assaulted within the military. The families of these horrific crimes stated that the military was not taking these allegations seriously which has led many of the victims to commit suicide. Co-sponsor Speier states that the finding from the report does not surprise her because no one has been taking sexual assault cases in the military seriously for a very long time.
The House and the Department of Defense have stated that they are taking these allegations seriously and are working hard to find more qualified legal representation for each branch of the military. The House Bill states that it will start giving civilian department of defense ultimate authority, taking in from the hands of military leadership all together due to not handling each case how they should. This is also very shocking to realize that the members of the military cannot protect their own soldiers against abuse that they must hand it off to the civilian department of defense, what does that say for our military commanders? The Army has already started a program that helps victims of abuse but are trying to further their actions to make sure that all victims are heard and fought for. The article also states that nearly 40 people whether they be spouses, families or the victims reported that their cases were dismissed after they reported the sexual assault to the Air Force authorities.
These men and women who fight for our freedom have not received the slightest amount of protection against these abusers. The military does not report an accurate number of cases that have been reported and that needs to change. 1 in 16 women are sexually assaulted and 1 in 23 men are sexually assaulted as well. We as a country must do better to help fight for the victims as they fight for us. These are mothers, daughters, sons, fathers that we need to protect, they are not just property of the military. These are real issues that need real answers. Hopefully, after these bills have passed there will finally be properly trained attorneys that specialize in special victims to make sure these victims voices are heard. The Department of Defense states that they just do not have enough people for the job which to me sounds a bit strange. Is it really a lack of attorneys or a lack of caring?
Overall, sexual assault in our military is very prevalent, and it happens more than we think. Each victim must have proper representation in court and their voices must be heard. Victims are losing their lives to suicide due to not being heard and their abusers not being held accountable for their abuse. This is a major problem within this institution that needs to be addressed and fixed immediately before it is too late.