San Antonio Express-News: Military sexual assault reports up 50%
The San Antonio Express-News reports:
The Pentagon said Friday that more than 5,000 sexual assault reports were filed in 2013, marking a 50 percent increase from the previous fiscal year.
The numbers released to the San Antonio Express-News weren’t a surprise but fueled a debate about changes activists want in the military legal system.
[Army Lt. Col. Catherine] Wilkinson said defense officials believe the Pentagon is having “a positive impact on the force, leading victims to feel more confident” and report, but Nancy Parrish, founder of Protect Our Defenders, said it was impossible to know what is happening.
“It is unclear whether these numbers represent an increase in crime or reporting. But one thing we do know is that 62 percent of those (who) do report state that they were retaliated against, and 25 percent of victims indicated the offender is someone in their chain of command,” said Parrish, whose group wants sex assault prosecutions taken out of the military chain of command.
“Half-measures won’t achieve the mission,” Gillibrand said. “We need bold reforms, and I will continue to stand with sexual assault survivors, veterans organizations and retired commanders who advocate for the serious changes we need in removing sexual assault cases from the chain of command.”
