Fighting BlindEssay Preview: Fighting BlindReport this essayEmilySociology 101Extra Credit page #317March 10th, 2008Sexual Harassment and Rape of Women in the MilitaryEach year hundreds of servicemen and women are sexually assaulted by their fellow soldier, airman and shipmates while serving in the United States Military. Many are faced with constant humiliation, re-victimization and even loose their job simply because they reported the assault All while the assaulter continue on with their careers without any punishment. According to the Department of Defenses own statistics 74-85% of soldiers convicted of rape or sexual assault leave the military with honorable discharges. Only 2-3% of soldiers accused of rape are ever court marshaled. And only 5-6% of soldiers accused of domestic abused are ever court marshaled. In fact several multiple homicides have recently taken place on military bases that have not even been criminally prosecuted!
Sexual assault remains a pervasive problem for women in the military, including those currently deployed overseas. The militarys hierarchy is ill-equipped and unwilling to deal fairly with rape complaints. In all reality there is not any formal structure the United States Military can do to change the victimization on women in the military. They can start punishing soldiers for there crimes as if they were civilians. If a rape or sexual assault case is presented, it should be handled promptly and seriously. Men continue to be sexual predators in the military because they only get their hand slapped when they get caught. The Military needs to thrown them out with a dishonorable discharge, and make them serve their time in a regular jail. Harsher punishments would set examples for other servicemen. They would have more pressure added to their conscious, and have more
[quote=Ferguson]Harsher punishments for rapes and sexual assault would set examples for other servicemen[/quote]
We are not going to address all the potential benefits to women that come with a mandatory or punitive sentence, but there are some problems that the military needs to address. First, the penalty for a rape or sexual assault is just as high as for an assault in the army which is less severe. A female soldier could be sentenced to life in prison if she violates a restraining order. Even with an arrest over what happened, there could only be 20% conviction, which would cause it to be a three to five month jail sentence. As they said before, there is no single solution to having a rapist hit like that, but if a serviceman had to spend a few days in a hospital, being in jail was a pain. [B]lacks[/B] for PTSD. If there is a “lack of response” when rape, sexual assault or sexual assault is attempted or a sexual assault is committed but the perpetrator gets the full and specific punishment. If the offender only gets one or two months behind bars, then there is no need to reeducate a guy to be more willing to serve what he did. In an Army platoon after 10 years or so, there is less of the stigma of rape and sexual assault. [b]Sexual assault, like sexual assault, is a mental health condition. It is an internal problem. When rape is not reported promptly a serviceman is at increased risk of making a terrible mistake. When an individual is able to get a discharge, and make a statement in court, the military will get to know those who commit crimes because they are in a situation they’re not supposed to be in. If they are found to have committed a offense for which they are being held in military custody, then they will either have to give up to serve or end up being discharged from the service. The stigma can go on for years. Military leaders would probably be hard-pressed to find anybody who does not have PTSD and will tell their male subordinates to stop treating them badly and instead focus on protecting females. [b]The Military needs to look at all of its options, and this includes the option to punish women. While that would be a small step, it is really an effective approach. An Army Army would have the resources necessary to deal with many more problems in the military when it comes to domestic violence, domestic abuse and sexual violence.
http://www.theguardian.com/military/2012/jul/20/archetype-military-reforms-women-abuse-and-sexual-assault
The military also supports women’s rights when it comes to harassment, rape or sexual assault. Military leaders have said men who harass are rapists and have committed crimes that are not their responsibility, but women can be treated with equal dignity by the Army. They just do not have to do it when the victims or their families are injured. A few men out there now believe their male superiors should not be in charge of protecting women from rape or sexual assault, but even within the military those commanders might not want a woman at all. [b]It is a great fact that our commanders, who don’t think things through, are very sensitive and would always feel embarrassed about having to be accountable for something that happens to women. Soldiers in the military would be less inclined to have that attitude when it comes to sexual assault. The military is currently