STATEMENT: Protect Our Defenders Applauds New Security Clearance Guidelines
*Survivors of military sexual assault that had been affected by Question 21 are available to speak. Let me know if you would like to talk with one of our veterans about this decision.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 5, 2013
Contact: Brian Purchia, , brian@
***STATEMENT***
STATEMENT FROM PROTECT OUR DEFENDERS APPLAUDING NEW SECURITY CLEARANCE GUIDELINES
Washington DC – Today, the Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive (ODNI) released new federal security clearance guidelines that will provide immediate relief for the victims of sexual assault in our military. The new guidelines revise Question 21 (Mental and Emotional Health) on the Questionnaire for National Security Positions (Standard Form 86) that had required service members to disclose any counseling that they had received in the past 7 years. The new national interim guidance from ODNI goes into effect immediately. Protect Our Defenders President Nancy Parrish today released this statement in response.
“Today’s announcement from the federal government is a major victory for our brave men and women in uniform that have been raped or sexually assaulted.
The new guidelines will allow survivors to receive the counseling they need without the fear of losing their jobs and it will help limit the retaliation that survivors too often face for reporting their assault. Too many survivors have been denied security clearance for reporting their sexual assault and these changes begin to fix this wrong.
We applaud and support the Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive (ODNI) for revising Question 21. We also want to thank ODNI staff for seeking input and participation from Protect Our Defenders.
Veteran and advocacy organizations have been working with member of Congress and leaders in the federal government to fix Question 21 for years and today’s announcement is long overdue. However, there are many challenges that remain for victims of sexual assault, including false bad behavior reports and errant medical diagnoses that are regularly used by the military to end the careers of service members that report their assault.
We must take the reporting, investigation and adjudication out of the chain of command in 2013.”
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NPR: Can Counseling Complicate Your Security Clearance? *Story with POD Advocacy Committee Member, Jennifer Norris
http://www.npr.org/2012/09/11/
National Journal: The Enemy Within
http://www.nationaljournal.
NBC News: Civil Rights Commission urged to order audit of military sex-assault cases
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_
Stars & Stripes: Hagel orders review of UCMJ after Wilkerson sex assault case
http://www.stripes.com/news/
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
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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