PRESS RELEASE: Protect Our Defenders Launches “Educate Your State” Initiative
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aug 14, 2013 Contact: Brian Purchia, , brian@protectourdefenders.com
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PROTECT OUR DEFENDERS LAUNCHES “EDUCATE YOUR STATE” INITIATIVE; SURVIVORS OF MILITARY SEXUAL ASSAULT ASK SENATORS TO SUPPORT AN INDEPENDENT AND IMPARTIAL MILITARY JUSTICE SYSTEM
Tailhook whistleblower, Paula Coughlin kicks off grassroots campaign for survivors to ask their elected officials to support the Military Justice Improvement Act and move the decision to prosecute sexual assault cases from biased commanders to independent lawyers outside the chain of command; Survivors will be meeting with Senators during the summer recess
Washington DC – Today, Protect Our Defenders announced the “Educate Your State” initiative, a grassroots effort where survivors of rape and sexual assault in the military are telling their senators why they support the Military Justice Improvement Act (MJIA) and asking them to support the bipartisan bill to reform the broken military justice system. The legislation, introduced by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) has widespread bipartisan backing, with 46 senators publicly supporting the bill, including Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Senator Ted Cruz (D-TX), Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Senator Rand Paul (R-KY).
Service members who are victims of rape and sexual assault within the military deserve an independent and impartial military justice system. This legislation is a significant first step by moving the decisions to prosecute their cases out of an often-biased chain of command, and into the hands of independent prosecutors. According to the Pentagon’s 2012 SAPRO report, 25% of victims indicated the offender is someone in their chain of command. Fifty percent of female victims stated they did not report the crime because they believed nothing would be done. Of those few who did report – 60% were retaliated against.
“These numbers don’t lie. They show that the justice system in our military is fundamentally broken. The system we have in place right now is not working. Over ninety percent of victims are not reporting because they do not believe that their chain of command will do anything to help them. It needs to change,” said Taryn Meeks, a former Navy JAG Corps Officer and Protect Our Defenders’ Executive Director. “Protect Our Defenders along with close to 500 survivors, call on Congress to create an independent and impartial military justice system.”
Since the “Educate Your State” initiative began, survivors have been sharing why they support the MJIA.
One survivor, Laura, explained why she contacted her Senators:
“When I was active duty, I feared reporting what I went through because the perpetrator was the golden child in my unit. If this had been an independent council I could have gone to rather than having to tell those who had made me feel less a soldier because of my gender, I may have been able to continue my career. I was not able to continue after that as I felt there was no justice.”
Rosie Palfy, a former Marine described her support for the MJIA:
“The legislation would make sweeping changes in the military justice system. These changes would protect the rights of victims as well as the rights of the accused. The legislation would remove the decision about taking a sexual assault case to special or general court-martial completely out of the chain of command & give that discretion to experienced military prosecutors.”
Another survivor, Rosemarie, explained why she joined “Educate Your State”:
“I loved serving our country in the Army. I miss the military lifestyle. But I was not only assaulted sexually, but was punished for speaking up. Yes, others knew what was going on, but they did nothing – just like we continue to do today. The chain of command is essential to the military’s success; however, they have been unable to stem the rising tide of sexual assault and it now needs to be taken out of their hands.”
The “Educate Your State” initiative was launched with a letter earlier this month from Protect Our Defenders Advisory Board Member, and Tailhook whistleblower, Paula Coughlin. In her letter, Paula asked victims of military sexual assault to join with her and support fundamental reforms including removing the authority to prosecute cases of sexual assault from the often biased chain of command. Nearly 500 survivors have joined Paula in calling on their Senators to support fundamental changes.
In her letter, Paula wrote:
“If MJIA had been in place when I was assaulted, I believe I would have been able to continue serving my country. I am still waiting for our Senate leadership to do the right thing. Survivors of this crisis have waited long enough. But the military has failed time and again to end these crimes on its own. All the survivors and their families who I know want this amendment to be enacted so that the military is a safer place for our sisters, brothers, sons and daughters. Support is building, but there are still senators that are undecided. We need to send them a clear message before the upcoming vote that survivors are counting on them. Please tell our leaders that survivors’ voices can no longer be ignored: Move the decision to prosecute sexual assault cases from a commander with no legal training to independent, trained military lawyers.”
Click here to read Paula’s entire letter.
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Protect Our Defenders “Educate Your State” Initiative http://action.
Protect Our Defenders Policy Paper: Nine Roadblocks to Justice and The Need for an Independent, Impartial Military Justice System
http://www.
National Journal: For Military Sexual-Assault Survivors, Proposed Reforms Are Only a Start
New York Times: Pentagon Finishing Rules to Curb Sexual Assaults
Politico: Decades behind: Sexual assault unchecked as Defense Department ducks reform
Roll Call: Military Women Fear ‘Collateral Damage’ From Reporting Sexual Assault
Washington Post: Gillibrand: Military commanders are ‘failing’ on sexual assault
New York Times: An Escalating Fight Over Military Justice
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/
Associated Press: Kirsten Gillibrand Targets Military Sexual Assault Law
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
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/
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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