Earlier this month, the Pentagon released a survey indicating that 26,000 people in the U.S. military suffered sexual abuse in 2012. An estimated 19,000 instances of sexual assault occurred in the military in 2010. Angered by the increasing number of sexual assaults, President Obama demanded that Congress take action to combat the growing number of military sexual assaults in the coming year. The study was conducted using more than 100,000 confidential surveys.
The President said, “The bottom line is, I have no tolerance for this. If we find out somebody’s engaging in this stuff, they’ve got to be held accountable, prosecuted, stripped of their positions, court-martialed, fired, dishonorably discharged. Period.” President Obama also said that he and the Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel planned to step up their game to stop sex crimes it the United States – especially in the armed forces. The President told victims of military sexual assault that, “I’ve got their backs.”
Almost 26,000 active-duty service members responded to the survey; of these, 6.1% of women indicated that they experienced sexual assault in the past year. 1.2% of men indicated that they had experienced abuse as well. In 2010, a similar survey revealed that only 4.4% of women were sexually assaulted. Pentagon officials were unable to explain the increase in instances of sexual assault, but questioned whether or not women today were simply more honest about abuse on the survey.
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York said that the continued sexual assault in the military was responsible for “undermining the credibility of the greatest military force in the world.” She also said that, “obviously there’s a failing in training and understanding of what sexual assault is…” If you or a loved one experienced sexual abuse in the armed forces, contact a California sexual abuse attorney from The Senators Firm. Our team has recovered millions of dollars for clients and is ready to put this experience to work for your case.