U.S. military laments ‘tragic’ rise in sexual assault

By Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. navy skilled its highest recorded degree of sexual assault amongst girls final 12 months, in findings the Pentagon on Thursday described as tragic, disappointing and devastating.

The U.S. navy, which is already struggling to satisfy recruiting objectives after a long time of battle, revealed the gloomy knowledge simply months after asserting new reforms that critics mentioned have been too sluggish and too restricted to resolve the disaster.

Reviews of sexual assault elevated by roughly 13% in 2021 in contrast with the earlier 12 months.

A staggering 8.4% of active-duty girls are estimated to have skilled some type of undesirable sexual contact in fiscal-year 2021, whereas the determine for males roughly doubled to 1.5%, in accordance with a survey in a Pentagon report revealed on Thursday.

Whereas the report mentioned the outcomes couldn’t be scientifically in comparison with earlier years due to a government-directed change in metrics, one senior Pentagon official mentioned it was the very best price for ladies since 2006 and the second-highest degree for males.

“These numbers are tragic, and intensely disappointing. On a person degree, it’s devastating to conceptualize that these numbers imply that over 35,000 service members’ lives and careers have been irrevocably modified by these crimes,” Elizabeth Foster, govt director of the Pentagon’s Workplace of Drive Resiliency, instructed reporters.

“Each incident has a ripple impact throughout the unit and impacts unit cohesion, means to belief and distracts from the crucial mission at hand,” Foster added.

The Marine Corps had a 13.4% sexual assault prevalence price amongst girls in 2021, up from about 10.7%, in accordance with the survey.

U.S. Consultant Jackie Speier, who can also be co-chair of the Democratic Ladies’s Caucus, mentioned the outcomes have been disturbing and he or she would maintain a listening to within the coming weeks for extra solutions.

“The watchful eye of Congress is required to make sure that navy management is held to account and any extra adjustments deemed obligatory to handle this nationwide embarrassment and disaster are made,” Speier mentioned in a press release.

This 12 months President Joe Biden signed an govt order to make sexual harassment an offense below the Uniform Code of Navy Justice.

In December, lawmakers handed the Nationwide Protection Authorization Act which included an overhaul of the navy justice system. It will take selections on whether or not to prosecute instances of rape and sexual assault out of the arms of navy commanders.

Nonetheless, some lawmakers and activists mentioned it doesn’t go far sufficient, notably given the extent to which sexual assault victims are likely to have an absence of religion within the navy justice system.

Solely 39% of girls within the navy mentioned they trusted the system to deal with them with dignity and respect after an incident, in contrast with 66% in 2018. Solely 34% of them trusted the navy to guard their privateness after reporting an incident, down from 63% in 2018.

Six out of 10 girls didn’t categorical belief within the navy to make sure their security after an incident, the information confirmed.

(Reporting by Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart in Washington; Modifying by Matthew Lewis)