Sexual Predators in the Dept of Defense

Despite over 25 years of Pentagon studies, task force recommendations and congressional hearings, rape,
sexual assault and sexual harassment continue to occur at alarming rates year after year. In addition to the
devastating effects of sexual violence on survivors and their families, rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment
threaten the strength, readiness and morale of the U.S. military, undermining U.S. national security.
THE CRISIS
* 3,192 military sexual assaults were reported in fiscal year 2011, an increase of 1% from fiscal year 2010 and a
1.1% decrease from 2009.i
* While sexual assaults are under-reported, this problem is exacerbated in military settings. In 2010, out of the
19,000 sexual assaults that occurred in the military, the Department of Defense (DOD) estimates that only
13.5% of survivors reported assault.ii It is difficult to determine the number of assaults in 2011 since the
Workplace and Gender Relations Survey of Active Duty Member (WGRA) was not conducted in 2011.
* In 2010, approximately 55% of women and 38% of men reported that their assailant sexually harassed or
stalked them prior to the incident of rape or sexual assault.iii
* In 2011, 1518 of the 3192 reported sexual assaults were considered actionableiv by the military, a decrease of
22% from the previous year. Prosecution rates for sexual predators are astoundingly low—in 2011, less than 8%
of reported cases went to trial. Of the cases that went to trial, 191 subjects were convicted, resulting in 148
offenders serving jail sentences and 122 being discharged. An estimated 10% of perpetrators resigned in lieu of
courts-martial (RILO), which effectively means the military allowed rapists to quit their jobs in order to avoid
facing charges.v
* The Department of Defense does not maintain a military sex offender registry that can alert service members,
unit commanders, and military families to the presence and movement of sexual predators within the military
population.
CONSEQUENCES OF MILITARY RAPE, SEXUAL ASSAULT AND SEXUAL HARASSMENT
* While experiences of rape, sexual assault, and sexual harassment are strongly associated with a wide range of
mental health conditions for both men and women veterans, MSTvi is the leading cause of PTSD among women
veterans, w