Al Jazeera America: Official: Reports of sex assault in Navy increase
Protect Our Defenders Communications Director Brian Purchia is quoted in this Al Jazeera America article:
However, Brian Purchia, spokesman for Protect Our Defenders (POD), an organization that provides support to military sexual assault survivors, was skeptical about the significance of the Navy’s numbers. The reports go against a trend of endemic, unreported sexual assault in the military.
“We have no idea how these cases are being reported. Ultimately the commander still has the right to dismiss the charge or not even investigate,” he told Al Jazeera, saying there is a need for “an independent justice system” that would remove the authority to prosecute alleged perpetrators from the victim’s chain of command.
