The War Against Women
These are not isolated incidents. The statistics are shocking.
In addition to the problem of rape itself, there is a serious problem with women who report rape finding justice within the military system. Only 8 percent of reported sexual assaults, which were investigated during 2007, were referred to courts martial. In contrast, forty percent of those arrested for sexual assault in the civilian world are prosecuted (3). In nearly half of the cases of sexual assault which were investigated in the military, no action was taken by the chain of command. In the cases where action was taken, in the majority of instances, the offenders were given administrative or nonjudicial punishment, consisting of anything from a demotion to a transfer or a letter of admonishment. Shockingly, the Department of Defense statistics reveal that 84-85 percent of soldiers convicted of rape or sexual assault are honorably discharged from the military when their term of service ends. That statistic makes a very strong statement which epitomizes the attitude taken in the military concerning sexual crimes against women (4). Women who served in Iraq experienced the stress of potential sexual assault on a daily basis. Representative Jane Harman (D-Calif.) testified in July 2008, “Women serving in the U.S. military are more likely to be raped by a fellow soldier than killed by enemy fire in Iraq” (5). Many of these women were ordered not to go outside at night without a female companion for fear of assault from their fellow soldiers (6). Since only one in ten soldiers is female and since some platoons only have one female soldier, this is problematic. Women serving in Iraq were warned against going to the latrines alone at night. Some of them cut the tops off water bottles and peed in them at night rather than go to the latrines. Some carried knives in order to protect themselves from other soldiers. Others limited their fluid consumption in order avoid going to the latrines and, thus, to protect themselves from sexual assault. As a result, women soldiers in Iraq experienced a high incidence of urinary tract infections and some women died as a result of dehydration (7). Many women never report being sexually assaulted. April Fitzsimmons, who was the victim of rape during her military career, said, “When victims come forward, they are ostracized, doubted, and isolated from their communities. Many of the perpetrators are officers who use their ranks to coerce women to sleep with them. It’s a closely interwoven community, so the perpetrators are safe within the system and can fearlessly move freely amongst their victims” (8). Some women don’t report assaults for fear of being disbelieved. In addition, the likelihood of anonymity for a woman who reports an assault is slim or none. The probability of a woman who has been assaulted having to continue to interact with her attacker is very high. Military culture does not look kindly on a soldier who is a whistleblower, much less when that whistleblower is female. Those who report sexual assault are likely to face ongoing persecution by their assailants and punishment by their commanders. Commanders don’t want their units to look bad; therefore, they often fail to take action concerning complaints of sexual assault. Thee are a number of factors, which contribute to the culture, which leads to such abuse of women in the military. First, there’s an innate hostility towards women in the armed services, the kind of hostility women meet whenever they make inroads into territory men perceive as theirs. Second, there’s the pervasive idea that men need a sexual outlet and that women soldiers are the most convenient one. There is a commonly held belief in the military that rape is a result of men’s pent up and unexpressed lust. The military blames women for provoking rape and lets rapists off the hook. Never mind that it has been shown that rape is more about power and domination rather than about satisfying lust. Third, many male recruits enlist to escape abusive families, and childhood abuse often turns men into adult abusers (9). Fourth, the quality of recruits entering the armed services is declining. Both the Army and the Marine Corps have issued “moral waivers” which allow them to enlist personnel who have had convictions for rape and sexual assault (10). Finally, as conveyed above, there are few or very minor consequences for sexual molestation in the military. Given all these factors, it’s no wonder that women are regularly assaulted. The aftereffects of sexual abuse are far reaching. Sexual violence by a fellow soldier is four times to nine times more likely to cause PTSD than combat alone, depending on which study is quoted (11). To add insult to injury, those who seek counseling to deal with the effects of their abuse are perceived to be weak and sometimes find that their military careers are negatively effected as a consequence of seeking help (12). If women veterans seek help after being discharged from the military, the VA has few resources to assist those women who are dealing with the combined effects of combat trauma and sexual violence(4). Most of the VA’s services are tailored to meet the needs of male veterans. Women’s needs differ from those of men. They have distinct PTSD symptoms and need treatment tailored to their needs (13). Take Action All of this adds up to an untenable situation for women during and after their military careers. It is incumbent upon us to see to it that the problems faced by women soldiers and women veterans are addressed. Become informed on these issues. Read The Lonely Soldier: The Private War of Women Serving in Iraq, by Helen Benedict. Search the internet for information. Then take action. Inform yourself about the workings of both the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs at: http://veterans.house.gov/ and the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs at: http://veterans.senate.gov/ . Contact the members of these committees, share your outrage with them and encourage them to move quickly to rectify these injustices. Support the bills currently before Congress addressing the issues of women in the military. One bill is H.R.840, the Military Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Act. The other is H.R. 1211, the Women Veteran’s Health Care Improvement Act. Contact your Senators and Congressmen and encourage them to support these bills. To track the progress of these bills, please access the following website: govtrack.us . Contact President Obama and encourage him, as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the United States of America, to respond to the needs of women soldiers and women veterans. Contact Ms. Obama and request her support. Several women veterans have organized to provide support for each other and for women currently on active duty. Their organization is called the Service Women Action Network, or SWAN. This organization states as its mission: “SWAN works to improve the welfare of current U.S. Servicewomen and to assist all women veterans. SWAN offers personal support and guidance from fellow women veterans, providing legal and counseling services from military law experts and caseworkers, recommending sound policy reform to government officials and educating the public about service women’s issues through various media outlets” (14). Join SWAN and ask to be put on their mailing list. Stay informed about the work they are doing to support military women, both active duty and retired. Are you shocked and appalled by what you’ve just read? Do something about it. As long as we remain silent, we are in collusion with those who perpetrate the abuse. Take the actions outlined above. Talk to people you know about these issues and encourage them to take action, as well. See to it that this information is widely disseminated. Draw a line in the sand and stand on it. You will find others standing beside you. (1) Harman Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Halt Rape and Sexual Assault in the Military. July 29, 2008, from http://www.house.gov/list/press/ca36_harman/July29_MST.sht (2) Culture of Unpunished Sexual Assault In U.S. Military. July 29, 2008, from http://dissidentvoice.org/2009/05/culture-of-unpunished-sexual-assault-in-us-military/ (3) Harman Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Halt Rape and Sexual Assault in the Military. July 29, 2008, from http://www.house.gov/list/press/ca36_harman/July29_MST.sht (4) Culture of Unpunished Sexual Assault In U.S. Military. July 29, 2008, from http://dissidentvoice.org/2009/05/culture-of-unpunished-sexual-assault-in-us-military/ (5) Ibid. (6) Benedict, Helen. (2009). The Lonely Soldier: The Private War of Women Serving in Iraq. Boston, MA: Beacon Press, Boston. (7) The Rape, Assault and Harassment of Women in the Military. April 14, 2007, from http://dissidentvoice.org/Apr07/Zeese14.htm (8) Harman Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Halt Rape and Sexual Assault in the Military. July 29, 2008, from http://www.house.gov/list/press/ca36_harman/July29_MST.sht (9) Benedict, Helen. (2009). The Lonely Soldier: The Private War of Women Serving in Iraq. Boston, MA: Beacon Press, Boston. (10) The Rape, Assault and Harassment of Women in the Military. April 14, 2007, from http://dissidentvoice.org/Apr07/Zeese14.htm (11) Benedict, Helen. (2009). The Lonely Soldier: The Private War of Women Serving in Iraq. Boston, MA: Beacon Press, Boston. (12) Culture of Unpunished Sexual Assault In U.S. Military. July 29, 2008, from http://dissidentvoice.org/2009/05/culture-of-unpunished-sexual-assault-in-us-military/ (13) Benedict, Helen. (2009). The Lonely Soldier: The Private War of Women Serving in Iraq. Boston, MA: Beacon Press, Boston. (14) Service Women’s Action Network, from http://www.servicewomen.org/?page_id=
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