![]() Senator Gillibrand’s report is available here. The Human Rights Watch report is available here. That an admitted sex offender was allowed to go and live freely in an unsuspecting community suggests a disturbing disregard for public safety. Shockingly, Senator Gillibrand’s review found a case where the accused confessed to a sexual assault, but was allowed to be discharged in lieu of trial and faced no legal consequences or appropriate punishment. In this group of case files, there were multiple instances of commanders choosing not to proceed to court-martial, despite a recommendation from the military investigating officer that probable cause existed. Much like Senator Gillibrand’s 2013 Bases Report analyzing sexual assault cases at four of the largest military bases in the country, her 2014 Bases Report exposed a troubling command culture that seems to favor the higher-ranking accused, and also seems to value closing cases over pursuing justice. Human Rights Watch found that service members who reported a sexual assault were 12 times more likely to suffer retaliation than see their offender, if also a service member, get convicted for a sex offense. ![]() In addition to the annual Department of Defense SAPRO report, Senator Gillibrand and Human Rights Watch independently released reports that demonstrate how poorly survivors are treated and how few rapists are ever punished. The odds of being sexually assaulted are approximately 16 times higher for active duty women and 50 times higher for active duty men who indicated experiencing sexual harassment than for their counterparts who did not Only 20% of survey respondents indicated that they were satisfied with official action(s) taken against their alleged perpetrator More than 70% of cases considered for court martial were never even referred to court martial proceedings ![]() Of those 30% who were brave enough to make an unrestricted report, approximately 60% of them told the Department of Defense that they had experienced some form of retaliation for reporting The Department of Defense estimated that there were nearly 15,000 sexual assaults against service members in fiscal year 2016ħ out of 10 service members did not report their assault in an “unrestricted” (actionable) manner to their chain of command, showing a severe lack of confidence in the current system By the Numbers, from the latest annual Department of Defense Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office (SAPRO) Report, FY2016 Congress owes it to the brave men and women who defend our country to fix a broken system deliver a system of justice worthy of their sacrifice. Despite incremental reforms passed in the last four National Defense Authorization Acts (NDAA), and a sharp focus in Congress on the issue of military sexual assault, Congress has not done enough to protect our service members from sexual assault in the ranks and punish the perpetrators who commit these violent crimes. Over the last five years, there has been a stream of national headlines and new investigative reports exposing the military’s failure to combat sexual assault in the ranks or provide a military justice system that holds assailants accountable in order to maintain good order and discipline. The amount of retaliation remains essentially unchanged from 2012 to 2014, while fewer cases are moving forward to prosecution and conviction. Worse yet, despite repeated efforts to stamp out the scourge of retaliation against military sexual assault survivors, the most recent Pentagon survey found that nearly 6 out of 10 survivors say they have experienced some form of retaliation for reporting the crime. Last year, the Department of Defense announced a record number of sexual assaults reported against service members,and the lowest conviction rates for their assailants on record, at just 9%. Only a small fraction of the perpetrators are ever held accountable for their heinous, violent crimes. ![]() In many of those cases, the assailant is someone in the survivor’s own chain of command. Unfortunately, each year, thousands of service members are raped and sexually assaulted. Congress has failed at their solemn responsibility to protect our service members. Service members put their lives on the line for our country, and Congress owes them a debt of gratitude that can never be fully repaid. The men and women of our Armed Forces are America’s greatest asset in keeping our nation safe at home and promoting our interests abroad. Comprehensive Resource Center for the Military Justice Improvement Act Introduction ![]()
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