Suffering in Silence: Rape in the U.S. Military
From Ring of Fire:
“Occupational hazard” is not a phrase that most would throw around when speaking on the subject of rape. And yet, this is a phrase often uttered in the presence of many women who have suffered abuse at the hands of their superiors in the U.S. Military. In the wake of recent resurgences of media coverage, many promises have already been made in regards to eradicating this horrifying issue once and for all. But are we truly any closer to finding a solution to the abuse within our ranks?
The exposure of instances of sexual abuse and assault in the U.S. Military is not a recent occurrence. The issue truly found its footing in the public eye in 1990, with the Tailhook Scandal, an incident in which dozens of women, and some men, were assaulted by Naval and Marine Corps officers at a convention in Las Vegas. This issue was exposed again, in 1996, with the Aberdeen Scandal, in which a dozen male Army officers were charged for sexually assaulting female trainees under their command. It was not until 2011 that this matter returned to the forefront, when more than 40 female trainees at San Antonio’s Lackland Air Force Base accused 17 male instructors of committing various sexual crimes.
More recent headlines have painted an even bleaker picture for both previous and potential victims of these abuses in the military. In many reported cases, perpetrators were not only found to have evaded punishment for their transgressions, but were also found to have enjoyed promotions and medals after the fact.
You can read the full article here at Ring of Fire.
