September 16, 2004
OVER 100 WOMEN SEXUALLY ASSAULTED IN IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN
by Irene Weiser
http://www.stopfamilyviolence.org/sfvo/mil_sa_iraq.html
MAY 18 | The US serviceman waited outside the latrine and hit the woman on the back of the head as she exited, knocking her unconscious. He tied her hands with cord, blindfolded her, cut her clothes off with a knife, stuffed her underwear in her mouth and then raped her. When she regained consciousness and began to resist, he threatened to rape her with the knife instead. He hit her in the head again, this time forcefully between the eyes, again causing her to lose consciousness. When she came to she was transported to another facility where she was interrogated for three hours. She received no medical treatment for her head injuries. She was left in isolation for an extended period, and her requests for religious counsel were denied.
Sound like the latest exposé from Abu Ghraib? Guess again. It's just one of the more than 100 incidents of rape, sexual assault and other forms of sexual misconduct reported in the past 18 months by U.S. women soldiers currently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan who have been sexually assaulted by fellow U.S. soldiers.
The military's response to these victims has been grossly inadequate. Many victims did not receive even the most basic medical care. Emergency contraception, rape evidence kits, testing for sexually transmitted infections, prophylactic treatment or testing for HIV, and rape crisis counseling are not consistently available. Military personnel lack even common-sense sensitivity as to how to respond to rape trauma; one mental health counselor cleared an Army sergeant who had just been raped to go out on missions again, feeling it would be good for her to "keep busy." Prosecution of these crimes is delayed indefinitely, and servicewomen must often continue to serve in the same unit - and sometimes sleep in the same barrack - with their assailant.
In February, after Pentagon officials admitted receiving 112 reports of sexual assault of troops deployed in the Middle East over the previous 18 months, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld appointed a task force, headed by Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Ellen Embrey to investigate the problem and make recommendations. Those findings were released May 13th in a 114-page document titled "Task Force Report on Care for Victims of Sexual Assault <http://www.dod.gov/news/May2004/d20040513SATFReport.pdf> ."
The report acknowledges the widespread problem of sexual assault in all branches of the military - over one thousand incidents reported in 2003 alone. It also acknowledges the military's broad-based failings and lack of leadership in addressing the problem, noting everything from confusing definitions as to what constitutes sexual assault, to poor data tracking to a deficiency of sound policies for preventing or responding - most notably a lack of privacy or confidentiality for victims who report. The report notes that victim advocacy and integrated services are often not available, that offenders are rarely held accountable and that consistent, timely, sensitive responses to victim medical and psychological needs are frequently lacking. Indeed the report states that the Department of Defense does not have any mandated requirements to provide advocacy for sexual assault victims.
The report goes on to make recommendations about what needs to be done to address this problem in the immediate, near and long term. Astonishingly, here's what the report recommends: summits, conferences and more reports!
The issue of sexual assault in the military is not a new issue; we have known of systemic problems since 1991 at Tailhook, to Aberdeen Proving Grounds in 1997 and just last year at the Air Force Academy. Ironically the Task Force report appendix lists some 46 previous reports, hearings and investigations relating to the issue of violence against women in the military, dating as far back as 1988. Yet despite repeated research precious little has changed.
It is long past time for more reports; there is need for immediate action. First and foremost, the medical and psychological needs of the victim servicemembers raped in combat zones must be met. Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners must be deployed, rape test kits provided and backlogs cleared so evidence can be processed in a timely manner, and investigative procedures must be standardized. Beyond that, victims need to be ensured privacy and confidentiality so they can report incidents without fear of retribution or placing their career in jeopardy. The military definitions of sexual assault and rape need changed to match non-military legal definitions. And of course strong leadership and strong policies must be implemented to change the sexist military culture that allows these abuses to continue unabated.
For 20 years women service members have been sexually assaulted in ways every bit as dehumanizing and agonizing as the assaults on prisoners in Abu Ghraib. The behavior of the men who commit these crimes is every bit as appalling, and the failures of leadership equally egregious. Maybe after fifteen years of management apathy and reports that go nowhere, the most important action we could take would be to send our women service members digital cameras.
Irene Weiser
Stop Family Violence
331 W. 57th St #518
New York, NY 10019
iw@stopfamilyviolence.org
the people's voice for family peace