Sexual Assault in the US Army

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Sexual Assault in the US Military
“Sexual abuse has been defined as the performing of any form of nonconsensual sexual act on another individual, whether in the shape of bodily harm, use of false pretense to acquire sexual favors, intimidation and infliction of fear on the victim or the performance of any sexual acts on a person who is unable to provide verbal consent (Kelley, Schwerin, Farrar, & Lane, 170).”
According to Kelley, Schwerin, Farrar, & Lane (2015), rape and sexual assault in the US military has been a pervasive issue that is still very prevalent today. With the increasing cases today, the proactive measures taken are wanting. The militant institution has proved to be incompetent in solving the issue internally and has now become a matter of national concern. In 2012, the case of military sexual assault reports rose by six percent, reaching a record 3,374 in 2012, although intimate research shows that the cases exceed 26,000 situations in a year but go unreported (Nelson, 217). It is only the rise of the high profile sexual assault charges that moved the Department of Defense to take stringent measures aimed at giving the victims the justice they deserve.
The culture of violence embedded among the people is the resultant of the rate of sexual assault that takes place. The rate at which violence and violent behavior has been accepted in the military also contributes to the reduced rates of reported crimes. Unlike in the past, where the killing of other humans was not encouraged in the military, the conditions have dramatically changed today.

The desensitization today has caused the harming and hurting of a fellow human being easy to carry out. The women suffer most in the military since men view them as secondary and easy targets for the abuse.
Studies show that the female veterans who are reported to have been sexually harassed while in service are more likely to have some mental conditions three times higher than the female veterans who never experienced the harassment. Although the mental health issues are a common factor noted among veterans, the case of sexual harassment while in services increases the risk significantly. There are several known risks of sexual harassment in the military, most of which are psychological. Post-traumatic stress disorder is the leading mental issue experienced by most of the victims. This condition leads to other conditions such as depression, suicide, and cases of insomnia, mostly due to the after-shock of the horrific experiences of the war and the sexual assault. The manifestation of these conditions also leads to cases of substance abuse, that most use as an escape route to alleviate the trauma.
Being that sexual assault is a direct interpersonal and intentional violation of the freedom and rights of a person, the cases are always harder to bear for the individuals. Military Sexual Assault is an ironical case, where the servicemen need to be defended from our defenders. While the close-knit closeness and size of the army bases ought to create some form of community and togetherness, violation of this trust creates an inhabitable situation where the victims are forced to live, work and share resources with their assailants. The fear triggered by the commanders is also a factor in the failure to report cases of sexual assault. The lack of reporting further aggregates the problem and the physical, emotional and psychological health of the victims are compromised.
Works Cited
Kelley, M. L., Schwerin, M. J., Farrar, K. L., & Lane, M. E. An evaluation of a sexual assault prevention and advocacy program for U.S. navy personnel. Military Medicine, 2015; p. 170, 320−326
Nelson, T. S. For love of country: Confronting rape and sexual harassment in the U.S. military. (2012).New York: Haworth Maltreatment and Trauma Press.