Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment is a real and frequently recurring problem, both in the Military and in the Civilian World. You can’t really put a number on the amount of cases because some victims don’t realize they are being victimize. Why is sexual harassment and assault a big issue? What is being done to minimize these events? And how can sharp incident bring morale, and unit cohesion down? In this essay I’m going to detail the role being victimized, also what the Army doing to deal with these issues, what can be done on a lower level to help aid in preventing this matter.
“To be a victim of sexual assault it’s not only about being assault, It’s about the things that get sweep under the rug” said an anonymous rape victim. People tends to take assault cases and try to blame the victim. Saying things like he or she should of not put they self in that situation. But studies show that most victim know the person assaulting them. In some cases the victims described being assaulted/rape as slowly dying, Feeling lost and broken, having something you value being snatch from your grips. Feeling as though your body and your soul isn’t your anymore, But feeling as though your body belong to the perpetrator. Some victims go as far as contemplating suicide or resort to legal and illegal drugs to deal with the scar they soul have suffer. After the ordeal is over is when the true effect of the assault bare it true color. Most victim feel foreign in their own body. Some victims feel as though their body is contaminated. This way of feeling can last for month even years. Victim of sexual assault feel threaten by people around them due to the trauma they have to replay over and over again in their mind.
In the Army victims tends to feel the need to say strong and not report sexual assault due to the fact that they don’t want to look weak in the eyes of their peers. The Army have put together various program and resources victim can use to get help and Justice, and a piece of mind. Victim Advocate help victims by… Provides professional and comprehensive advocacy services to individuals exhibiting a wide variety of issues related to being a victim or survivor of sexual harassment or sexual assault. Conducts assessments with clients to determine required needs and evaluates safety and levels of risk. Assesses the urgency of cases and develops a plan for assistance. Develops and implements an appropriate plan of action in crisis situations. Maintains contact with clients through follow-up support for ongoing needs related to coping with harassment and assault incident(s). Conducts safety planning and initiates the notification process with agencies such as law enforcement, safe shelters and command to ensure safety and well-being for the victim, alleged offender, affected Family members and the community. This problem have gone as far as the Pentagon for the past few years, the Pentagon has launched a massive, public effort to combat sexual assault. It has set up a special office for victims’ advocates, commissioned reports to study the problem and stepped up training. The efforts have encouraged more victims to speak out. Reports of sexual assaults increased 41 percent from 2012 to 2016, according to Department of Defense data. The Pentagon has also required the branches to implement a policy to allow sexual assault victims who have been involuntarily discharged to request a review of their case to ensure they aren’t being pushed out in retaliation for reporting their assault.
