STATEMENT: Protect Our Defenders Responds to New Survey that Shows Epidemic of Rape and Sexual Assault in the Military Continues
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 4, 2014 Contact: Brian Purchia, brian@protectourdefenders.com
*** STATEMENT ***
PROTECT OUR DEFENDERS RESPONDS TO NEW SURVEY THAT SHOWS EPIDEMIC OF RAPE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT IN THE MILITARY CONTINUES
Washington DC – Today, the Pentagon released new figures on sexual assault in the military, which highlights the continued need for fundamental reform, transparency, and accountability. The numbers, which were taken from a highly criticized survey conducted by the RAND Corporation shows that the epidemic of sexual assault continues.
Last year, President Obama told victims he has their back and will support them. Since issuing that statement, the American public has been inundated by a continuing onslaught of military sexual assault scandals, from this past weekend’s cover story in the New York Times Magazine to an Associated Press investigation this past February that exposed rapists receiving no punishment and commanders failing to prosecute sexual assault cases at U.S. Military bases in Japan, up to and including recent scandals at Fort Leonard Wood where trainees were told their entire company would not graduate if any more sexual assaults were reported, and the Air Force Academy, where a whistleblower was retaliated against after contributing to the conviction of sexual assaults. Protect Our Defenders calls on President Obama to make good on his commitment to victims and support an independent and impartial military justice system.
Earlier this week, Col Don Christensen (ret), President of Protect Our Defenders joined Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and a bipartisan coalition of Senators at a press conference, calling on the President and Congress to support the Military Justice Improvement Act (MJIA). This conservative, bipartisan legislation supported by the majority of the Senate and American public would benefit all members of the military — victims and those accused — by creating a fair, independent, and impartial military justice system.
Today, Protect Our Defenders President, Don Christensen, Colonel (ret.) USAF released the following statement:
“While we are still examining the numbers from this new survey, what is most shocking is that on the day when DoD is trumpeting success, their own survey shows that 62 percent of victims are still being retaliated against. This number is confirmed by the experiences of so many victims, such as the case highlighted last week in the New York Times. The victims’ treatment in this case serves as an example of what happens to those victims who are brave enough to come forward.”
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Huffington Post: Commanders Flunk on Military Justice for Troops
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/don-christensen/commanders-flunk-on-milit_b_6258554.html?1417613699
Politico: DOD under fire for farming out sex-assault survey
http://www.politico.com/story/2014/04/new-military-sexual-assault-survey-questioned-106148.html
New York Times: The Military’s Rough Justice on Sexual Assault
USA Today: Gillibrand makes new push on military sex assault bill
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2014/12/02/gillibrand-military-sex-assaults/19789269
Yahoo News: Former chief Air Force prosecutor ‘outraged’ by military’s handling of sexual-assault cases
Associated Press: Documents reveal chaotic military sex-abuse record
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/documents-reveal-chaotic-military-sex-abuse-record-1
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Former drill sergeant found guilty in sexual misconduct case at Fort Leonard Wood
ABC News: Air Force Cadet’s Secret Story: I Blew the Whistle on Football Players and Sex Assaults
http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/air-force-cadets-secret-story-blew-whistle-football/story?id=26524925
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/ProtectOurDefenders or follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ProtectRDfnders.
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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