Did you see it? Over the weekend, the YWCA of Kauai hosted three screenings of “The Invisible War,” an eye-opening documentary about sexual assault in the military. If you missed it, it is available to rent on Netflix or Amazon.com.
Did you see it?
Over the weekend, the YWCA of Kauai hosted three screenings of “The Invisible War,” an eye-opening documentary about sexual assault in the military. If you missed it, it is available to rent on Netflix or Amazon.com.
The screening of the film on Kauai couldn’t come at a more appropriate time — sex assaults in the military have been dominating mainstream media headlines for the past few weeks.
There is something wrong if none of our leaders see sexual assault in the military as a pressing problem — a May report released by the Pentagon estimated there were 26,000 instances of sexual assault in the military in 2012. A total of 3,374 of those crimes were reported.
And how many convictions were there? Just 238. A mere 7 percent.
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard was on island Friday, and she spoke as part of a panel discussion after a screening of the film.
Gabbard and Rep. Tammy Ducksworth, D-Ill, are Iraq War veterans, and both are critical of the military and its failure to resolve this epidemic.
They are calling to have sexual assault cases to be dealt with outside of the military’s traditional chain of command, since most sex assault victims fear of speaking up because the repercussions — after all, the person who assaulted them is more likely to be a friend of the person they report the crime to, or their superior commander.
It’s unnerving to show up for duty, and have to constantly look over your shoulder, not looking for an enemy combatant, but a fellow officer who has violated your trust.
Renae Hamilton, executive director of the YWCA, pointed out that rape and sexual assault isn’t just about gratification — it’s about power and control.
Tuesday, the Senate Armed Services Committee held a hearing regarding combating military sexual assault. The military’s top officials agreed little has changed in the past two decades.
“I took my eye off the ball in the commands I had,” said Gen. Martin Dempsey, a chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Sen. John McCain said he could not “overstate my disgust and disappointment over continued reports of sexual misconduct in our military,” and said he could not advise women to join the service until the military contains this problem.
Despite being grilled by the Senate, the nation’s top military officials still maintained that punishment of sex offenders should stay in the ranks.
“The commanders’ responsibility to preserve order and discipline is essential to effecting change,” Dempsey said.
We disagree.
There needs to be a culture change in the military. The military is failing to protect the people who serve it from sexual assault, and it is doing little to stop this epidemic from spreading.
“I was deeply disappointed today by the testimony of our nation’s top military leaders and their opinion that commanders should retain authority over whether or not a sexual assault incident be investigated or prosecuted,” Gabbard said after Tuesday’s hearing. “I am so proud to serve our country as a soldier, and it sickens me that there are those who willingly dishonor the sacrifice of so many, and the privilege of service, by committing these violent sexual assaults within the ranks. This is absolutely unacceptable.”
Sex assault crimes should be handled and go to trial by prosecutors, not commanders who may be ill-equipped to handle these cases.
The military needs a real change, not the same rhetoric that has been regurgitated before Congress for the last 20 years.
