The Associated Press has uncovered that reports of sexual assaults in the U.S. military increased by 13% last year, led by huge surges in the Army and the Navy as facilities started to lift influenza restrictions and public venues reopened.
U.S. defense and military authorities said that up to 36,000 service members stated in a private poll that they had had unwelcome sexual contact, a substantial increase over the approximately 20,000 who claimed the same thing in a comparable 2018 survey.
Legislators on Capitol Hill, who have been skeptical of the Pentagon’s attempts to control sexual offenses and misbehavior, are likely to be angered by the new data.
According to authorities, the total rise is mostly driven by a roughly 26% increase in Army soldier-related complaints. Since 2013, when such reports increased by 51%, it is the highest growth for this service.
Navy reports increased by almost 9%, Air Force by little more than 2%, and Marine Corps by less than 2%, according to officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because the data has not yet been made public.
The significant rise is particularly troubling for the Army, which is failing to fulfill its recruitment objectives and is likely to fall short by at least 10,000 recruits, or anywhere from 18% to 25%, by the end of September. Army authorities have recognized that it is essential for parents and others who influence recruits to have confidence in their child’s safety and care in the military. Sept. 24, 2017 aerial image of the Pentagon building Bill Clark
COVID-19 and pandemic limits confound comparisons between years. Officials said they lack sufficient data to assess if or to what extent the epidemic contributed to the increased reporting and survey numbers.
The Pentagon and the military services have worked for years to develop procedures to prevent sexual assaults and promote reporting. While the military has made progress in making it simpler and safer for service members to report attacks, it has had far less success in lowering assaults, which have grown virtually every year since 2006.
The total rise of double digits follows two years of very modest increases in the number of complaints submitted by or involving military personnel. During the fiscal year ending in September 2020, complaints of sexual assault and unwanted sexual contact increased by 1% owing to the global epidemic. The prior year had a roughly 3% rise in reports, a significant improvement over 2018, which also saw a 13% increase.
During the autumn of 2020 and the beginning of 2021, the extensive restrictions on military travel and mobility remained, and many shops, restaurants, and pubs were closed or provided restricted service. As more individuals got vaccinated in the summer and autumn, things started to loosen up, although it is unclear if this increased freedom contributed to the spike in assault allegations.
Every year, the Pentagon issues a report detailing the number of sexual assaults reported by or concerning military personnel. However, since sexual assault is a crime that is grossly underreported, the department has been conducting a private poll every two years to better understand the situation. More than 20,000 service members reported experiencing some sort of sexual assault in 2018, but only one-third of them filed a formal complaint.
On the basis of the secret poll, the most recent study, which is set to be made public on Thursday, predicts that around 35,800 service members suffered some kind of sexual assault over the previous year. This indicates that around one out of every five service members reported an event from the previous year.
Up to 10% of attacks reported by service members each year occurred before they joined the military.
Officials familiar with the data claimed that survey respondents also indicated increases in job discontent and sexual harassment, which may lead to additional sexual assaults or misbehavior.
Defense officials have claimed that an increase in reported assaults is a good trend since so many individuals in the military and in society are afraid to report it. According to them, an increase in reporting demonstrates higher trust in the reporting system and comfort with victim assistance.
It is unclear, however, whether the rise in assault-related complaints over the last year indicates a rising issue or if victims were just more ready to come forward.
Congress has exerted repeated pressure on the Pentagon to increase prevention and prosecutions. Late last year, lawmakers took some prosecutorial power away from commanders and gave it to independent prosecutors.
Advocates for victims’ rights and others have suggested that military personnel do not trust the system and are often afraid to file complaints with their superiors for fear of retaliation. They are also concerned that commanders would not pursue certain cases if they know the accused. Members of Congress believed that appointing independent prosecutors would improve the fairness of the process and encourage victims to come forward.
In the United States, survivors of sexual abuse and their families have access to assistance. RAINN provides access to resources at 1-800-656-HOPE and www.rainn.org.
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