Military women fight rape, sexual harassment

The Associated Press
8:28 AM CDT, July 27, 2008

Sexual assault and harassment involving female military personnel is not a new consequence of war. But the sheer number of women serving today — more than 190,000 so far in Iraq and Afghanistan — is forcing the military and the Department of Veterans Affairs to more aggressively address the issue.

131 attacks reported

In the fiscal year that ended Oct. 1, 131 rapes and assaults were reported in Iraq and Afghanistan among members of the military, said Kaye Whitley, director of the Defense Department's Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office. Comparing that to previous years isn't possible because of changes in the way data was collected, she said.

Barging in

Carolyn Schapper, 35, alleges she was harassed in Iraq by a fellow Army National Guard soldier to the extent that she began changing clothes in the shower for fear he'd barge into her room unannounced — as he already had on several occasions. Schapper, of Washington, said she never filed a formal complaint. If she complained, Schapper figured, she'd be the one moved — not the other soldier.

A matter of trust

When victims do complain, too often the perpetrator is not moved out or punished, said Colleen Mussolino, national commander of the Women Veterans of America. "You have to be able to trust fellow soldiers, and if you can't do that, you're basically on your own. So it's really rough, really rough for them," Mussolino said.

Other problemsDepression, anxiety, problem drinking, sexually transmitted diseases and domestic abuse have been linked to sexual abuse, according to the Miles Foundation, a non-profit group that supports victims of violence associated with the military. Since 2002, the foundation says, it has received more than 1,000 reports of assault and rape in the U.S. Central Command areas of operation, which include Iraq and Afghanistan.

The military acts

After high-profile attacks in Kuwait and Iraq, a confidential component was added to the military's reporting system, so a victim can seek help without necessarily triggering an investigation. This summer, the Pentagon is also is working with the non-profit group Men Can Stop Rape to help teach troops how to identify warning signs of problems around them. In January, the VA opened its 16th inpatient ward specializing in treating victims of military sexual trauma. And in response to complaints that it is too male-focused in its care, the VA is making changes such as adding keyless entry locks on hospital-room doors so women patients feel safer.

The impact

The data that exists — incomplete and not up-to-date — offers no proof that women in the war zones are more vulnerable to sexual assault than other female service members, or American women in general. What is known is that the effects of a military sexual trauma can be long-lasting: The VA still sees veterans who experienced sexual attacks in Vietnam and even World War II.