MSNBC: Landmark year for military sex assault reform ends with spike in reports

MSNBC reports:

Reports of sexual assault within the armed forces skyrocketed by more than 50% in 2013, a jump that comes after months of sustained pressure from lawmakers and advocates to change the military’s approach to crimes that have reached epidemic levels across all branches.

There were more than 5,000 reported sexual assaults between Oct. 1, 2012 and Sept. 30, 2013, according to information obtained by the Associated Press, the most since the Pentagon began compiling annual data on the problem in 2004. There were 3,374 reports in the 2012 fiscal year, out of an estimated 26,000 instances of unwanted sexual contact. That estimate, along with several high-profile military sexual assault cases, helped turn 2013 into the most productive year ever for advocates of reform.
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“It is unclear whether these numbers represent an increase in crime or reporting,” Nancy Parrish, president of survivor advocacy group Protect Our Defenders, told msnbc in response to the AP’s report. Even if the increase does represent progress, survivors still face serious challenges in the pursuit of justice. “One thing we do know is that 62% of those that do report state that they were retaliated against and 25% of victims indicated the offender is someone in their chain of command.”