PRESS RELEASE: Protect Our Defenders Celebrates First Year of Pro Bono Legal Network Assisting Military Sexual Assault Survivors
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 17, 2014 Contact: Brian Purchia, brian@protectourdefenders.com
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PROTECT OUR DEFENDERS CELEBRATES FIRST YEAR OF PRO BONO LEGAL NETWORK ASSISTING MILITARY SEXUAL ASSAULT SURVIVORS
Program Has Provided Casework Assistance and Connected Victims to a Network of Lawyers Willing to Handle Cases, Provide Legal Counsel at No Cost
Washington DC – Launched over one year ago, Protect Our Defenders’ (POD) Pro Bono Legal Network (PBN) provides service members and veterans who are survivors of military sexual trauma (MST) with free legal and casework support. The volunteer network of attorneys and service organizations, along with POD staff, help and support victims attempting to navigate the complex and biased military justice system that all too often favors the accused and retaliates against victims.
Through the Pro Bono Network, POD continues to hear almost daily from these service members who in addition to their assault face a degrading and hostile work environment, and who have been denied the justice and assistance they need. Many have sought help from the resources provided by the military, and yet continue to face a lack of justice, suffer retaliation, and be denied the benefits they deserve.
“If you are an active duty service member who has been sexually assaulted and in need of support, Protect Our Defenders’ Pro Bono Legal Network is here for you,” said Protect Our Defenders President Nancy Parrish. “According to the Pentagon’s own numbers, just a small fraction of survivors of rape and assault within the military ever report their attack. Those who choose not to come forward have very little faith in the military justice system, and rightfully fear retaliation. According to the Pentagon of the few who do come forward 60% state they were retaliated against.”
POD has provided assistance in several recent high profile cases, including a case of harassment and abuse directed at a member of the U.S. Air Force. Within months of her arrival at Nellis Air Force Base in 2009, Senior Airman Cierra Bridges was subjected to sexual harassment and sexual assault from multiple superior officers. When she reported these incidents to her chain of command, she was retaliated against and was given citations for minor misconduct, which eventually led to a discharge recommendation under other-than-honorable circumstances.
After Airman Bridges’ family contacted POD, staff worked to assist and connect Airman Bridges and her family with an Air Force Times reporter who highlighted her story in the investigative series, “They Accused Superiors of Assault & Harassment: Now their careers are over.” The report helped expose a culture within the United States military that keeps victims of rape and sexual assault from speaking up. Once the story broke Airman Bridges discharge recommendation was dropped.
POD has supplemented its Pro Bono Legal Network by filing amicus briefs in several cases on issues ranging from victims’ right to be heard in court, to the opposition of forced depositions prior to trial, and prevention of victims’ confidential therapy records and prior sexual history from being disclosed in court.
As Protect Our Defenders pushes for fundamental reform to our broken military justice system, we will continue to offer assistance and legal counsel through the Pro Bono Legal Network. If you or someone you know has experienced retaliation or other legal challenges due to a sexual assault while in the military, please visit our website and tell us your story.
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Protect Our Defenders Pro Bono Legal Network: http://action.protectourdefenders.com/probono
Standing With Survivors – POD’s Pro Bono Legal Network Marks 1st Anniversary
Air Force Times: Fear of retaliation: The culture that prevents airmen from speaking up
Air Force Times: Discharge dropped for airman who claimed retaliation
Air Force Times: Discharge upheld for airman who reported sexual assault
About Protect Our Defenders: Protect Our Defenders is a human rights organization. We seek to honor, support and give voice to the brave women and men in uniform who have been sexually assaulted while serving their country, and re-victimized by the military adjudication system – a system that often blames the victim and fails to prosecute the perpetrator. Learn more about Protect Our Defenders at www.protectourdefenders.com or on Facebook at http://facebook.com/ProtectOurDefenders or follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ProtectRDfnders.
Protect Our Defenders partners with Attorney Susan Burke, Burke PLLC to advance lawsuits filed against the DoD and service academies for repeatedly ignoring rape, sexual assault and harassment, failing to prosecute perpetrators and retaliating against the victim.
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