When we think about the many problems that US Veterans face when coming home from war, we usually imagine PTSD from battle, facing possible homelessness, and the struggle of finding a job. But there’s another, very large problem facing veterans: sexual trauma, Many of the lasting problems that affect Veterans are typically caused by enemies of war. But the growing issue of sexual trauma among US Veterans is difficult on them because the abuse that they suffered was usually caused by their fellow soldiers. It’s not something soldiers entering the army are typically mentally prepared to be cautious about, so the effects on them when they exit the military are extremely harmful and difficult to deal with. In this essay I will explain the issues facing Veterans who are suffering from sexual trauma, why it‘s a problem, and the resources being offered by the government in order to help them with the lasting effects of the trauma. While PTSD from combat is the most common form of trauma that Veterans suffer from in the military, sexual abuse makes up a significantly noticeable percentage.
The American Journal of Public Health did research via a survey (2007) which found that: The annual incidence of experiencing sexual assault is 3% among active duty women and 1% among active duty men, Sexual coercion (e,g,, quid pro quo promises ofjob benefits or threats ofjob loss) and unwanted sexual attention (e.g., touching, fondling, or threatening attempts to initiate a sexual relationship) occur at an annual rate of 8% and 27%, respectively, among women and 1 % and 5% among men. While lower amongst men in the military, almost a third of all women in the military encounter some sort of unwanted sexual advances. It’s a growing problem in the military and affects the outgoing Veterans who return home from service. According to the research, the journal also says that rape has the “highest conditional risk for posttraumatic stress disorder”. The journal notes as well that the problem is heightened in Veterans over active soldiers because they feel pressured to keep silent about their abuse when they come home from service.
This is because when most of them brought the issue of the attack to a superior officer, they were pressured to keep silent. The effects go beyond the mental damage of being attacked or abused while in service. The (2007) study found that following sexual trauma, Veterans were 2 to 3 times more likely to be diagnosed with mental health disorders. They mentioned that depression and eating disorders arose among the Veterans once they returned to civilian life, as it was difficult for them to adjust. While most of the depression and eating disorders affected female Vets, schizophrenia and psychoses were more active among the male Veterans who experienced sexual trauma during their service. Male Veterans are also more likely to suffer from severe personality disorders as well, and a significant amount was diagnosed with HIV and AIDS following their abuse.
The research suggested that the amount and severity of the trauma suffered by Veterans mirrors the trauma that one would receive as a child in an abusive home. This also causes Veterans to be predisposed to be at risk for health problems when they come back from service, along with a higher chance of being attacked again. Not only are their eating patterns changed, but Veterans suffering from sexual trauma can also develop smoking habits, gambling and drug addictions, and alcohol dependencies. Mental problems aren’t the only ones that develop in Veterans suffering from sexual trauma post-service. According to another study on sexual abuse among Veterans (2008), women who were affected by sexual abuse suffered from “pelvic pain, menstrual problems, back pain, headaches, gastrointestinal symptoms, and chronic fatigue”.
Overall, Veterans suffering from sexual trauma were much more likely to have poor overall health than non-abused Veterans or other civilians. With so many challenges facing Veterans already, sexual abuse makes Vets far more likely to suffer from mental and physical health issues when returning from service So what is the government doing to combat this? One of the main difficulties with active servicemen when dealing with rape and sexual assault is that they are unable to properly report it to their superior officers. These are for various reasons, a few main ones being that the superior officer is the rapist, the soldier is told to keep quiet, or even worse, the victim is threatened with violence and retaliation. This inability to see justice given to their perpetrator and the often continued assault on the soldier leads them to be severely affected by this once they leave active duty.
As a veteran, they suffer from PTSD, and develop more issues as a result. They usually don’t seek help because as an active duty soldier, they were told to keep the assault to themselves. This is what makes it so hard for Veterans to take action to get help for themselves in the US Department of Veterans Affairs‘s website, they offer resources for Veterans (and even civilians) to seek out and inpatient care regarding sexual abuse. There are sexual harassment courses that soldiers must go through during their service, but this is about all. Due to the military being overall reluctant to do much about the assaults when they actually occur, they only offer resources afterwards, such as when the soldiers are veterans. While the resources for Veterans are numerous and the government offers this for free to the former servicemen, there needs to be a better attitude about nipping the problem in the bud before the assaults occur.
The 2008 study supports this, saying: The VA’s focus has been on providing treatment for MST, not doing epidemiological or prevention studies, Veterans being evaluated in a treatment setting may be more willing to report higher incidences of MST than those in a research setting, due to perceived positive consequences of obtaining services and help. The study acknowledges that the Veterans Affairs offers services to Vets, but only after the assault. It says that there isn’t enough being done to prevent the sexual assault before it happens. The study offers some ideas for how to prevent sexual assault trauma within the active servicemen: Identification of risk factors may aid in the detection and prevention of MST among active duty personnel as well as reservists. Consequently, research would aid in the development of prevention measures by fully addressing and assessing for risk factors among MST survivors such as previous child abuse history (sexual and physical), previous incidents of other attacks (e,g., physical assault by significant others), age of enlistment, and family functioning.
Research would also benefit from identifying how demographic variables (e,g., socioeconomic status, ethnicity, educational level) may be associated with veterans’ experiences of symptoms associated with MST. (2008) Looking at the risk factors that are most common in Veterans who suffered from sexual abuse during their service is a good way to start examining the mental health and physical health problems within the active duty soldiers in order to make sure they get the best help possible. If the government and the military can offer more comprehensive services that examine a victim and ensure that they get the best help they can be offered before they are left to return to civilian life, these preventative efforts would be helpful to servicemen who eventually become veterans. Another way that the government can help with rape and sexual assault cases is to actually acknowledge them.
Since these assaults are carried out by fellow soldiers of the victims, this makes it already extremely difficult to speak up about an assault. No one wants to admit that they’ve been attacked by someone they know and assumed they could trust, especially when it’s a commanding officer. When the victims do have the courage to speak up about their attack, they are either not taken seriously and told to keep quiet, or they are threatened for silence, sometimes even with death. The handling of these cases needs to Change if the government wants to prevent Veterans from having lifelong problems related to the assault that they suffered during their service, According to the website of the Comprehensive Resource Center for the Military Justice Improvement Act, 62 percent of women in the military who reported their rape or assault to an officer in the military were met with retaliation for silence.
This could range from more assault to even “accidental” death. This same website is pushing for a petition to demand a better system of accommodating and taking victims of sexual assault in the military seriously, They acknowledge that the military is often biased because of their separate system of courts and justice within the army. This act, called the Military Justice Improvement Act, addresses this problem, saying “This reform moves the decision whether to prosecute serious crimes to independent, trained, professional military prosecutors while leaving military crimes to the chain of command. (“Comprehensive”)” This way, the military can maintain power in the courts and how they deal with Standard military crimes, but also must change the way they treat alleged sexual attackers and prosecute them.
Professionals who are knowledgeable in dealing with rape and sexual abuse cases will be left to deal with these cases while the military can deal with their standard war crimes. Veterans have served this country and deserve the best treatment available from their country Veterans who suffered from internal crimes like sexual abuse and rape deserve better treatment for their cases. They suffer from mental and physical issues that are constantly growing, and treating them after they leave the military is not enough. However, it looks like hope for a more efficient and helpful system might be coming soon with the passage of laws and acts that address the problems within the military instead of after, when Veterans are living among civilians.
