Statement from Protect Our Defenders President Nancy Parrish on Findings from the Air Force Sweep
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 18, 2013
Contact: Brian Purchia, , brian@protectourdefenders.com
***STATEMENT ***
Statement from Protect Our Defenders President Nancy Parrish on Findings from the Air Force Sweep
Active-duty Air Force TSgt Jennifer Smith exposes Air Force indifference to blatant sexual harassment and retaliation against many of those who report misconduct
Washington DC – Today, the Air Force released their findings from a service wide sweep of workspaces and public areas for images, calendars and other materials that objectify women. Air Force Chief of Staff General Mark Welsh launched the sweep in response to news coverage of Technical Sergeant Jennifer Smith’s formal complaint. The New York Times broke the story of TSgt Smith’s allegations of harassment and sexual assault and Protect Our Defenders called on Congress to immediately investigate the allegations, releasing theadministrative complaint filed on behalf of TSgt Smith and other active duty women.
The administrative complaint filed by attorney Susan L. Burke contains extensive exhibits detailing a wide range of sexual harassment, “including, but not limited to, verbal slurs and inferences, nonverbal gestures, pictures and notes, unwanted physical contact, unwanted touching, and physical advances.” Protect Our Defenders President Nancy Parrish released the following statement.
“While Protect Our Defenders is pleased that the Air Force undertook this long overdue sweep for gender-based, degrading and hate filled materials – unfortunately it was pre-announced and not a complete sweep. The sweep, which, after a prior announcement, began on Wednesday, December 5, 2012, provided a twelve-day window for it to be completed.
The sweep did not include individual desks, cabinets, lockers, or individual (personal & government issued) computer hard drives and individual (personal & government) email accounts, where some of the content in the Smith complaint was stored.
This is why we have called on Congress to investigate the culture of violence and hate filled speech and behavior toward women and all victims of sexual assault in the Air Force and throughout the military. Congress has an oversight role and needs to start playing it.”
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Read Air Force Times story “Air Force-wide inspections begin today”
http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2012/12/air-force-health-welfare-insepctions2-120512/
Read the New York Times article about Jennifer, “Military Has Not Solved Problem of Sexual Assault, Women Say”
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/02/us/women-in-air-force-say-sexual-misconduct-still-rampant.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
View the Administrative Complaint filed by Attorney Susan Burke:
https://www.protectourdefenders.com/downloads/FINAL_SMITH_ADMIN_COMPLAINT.pdf
View exhibits from the Administrative Complaint:
https://www.protectourdefenders.com/downloads/Smith_ExhibitSelects_20121101.pdf
Read Protect Our Defenders President Nancy Parrish’s blog on the Huffington Post “Investigate Air Force for Openly Violent, Sexist and Hostile Environment to Women”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nancy-parrish/air-force-sexual-assault_b_2129880.html
Read the National Journal’s cover story: “The Enemy Within”
http://www.nationaljournal.com/magazine/the-military-s-rape-problem-20120913
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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 atwww.protectourdefenders.com or on Facebook at http://facebook.com/ProtectOurDefenders or follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ProtectRDfnders.
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