Abstract
Despite the United States military’s world-renowned prestige, military sexual trauma
(MST) is a harrowing issue that stains its reputation. This grossly underreported crime has especially impacted the mental health of active duty and veteran women. The nature and shame attached to sexual trauma make it a pressing and easily concealed issue in the United States, especially in the military’s unique justice system. The military environment and its legal framework contribute to a number of factors that allow MST rates to increase over time. Military sexual trauma is associated with a variety of negative consequences including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and suicidal ideation. Active-duty military and veteran
women
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Although the legal atmosphere in the military regarding sexual assault is a complex challenge, intervention efforts and new policies provide the military a unique opportunity to set the standard for sexual assault victims’ protectionism and sexual trauma prevention.
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Significance
Sexual violence and harassment in the United States are major ongoing issues disproportionately affecting the lives of women. The trauma that follows such ordeals can profoundly impact lifelong health, opportunity, and well-being (CDC, 2022). Victims of sexual violence, and especially victims of completed rape, are at very high risk for suicidal ideation, developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), drug abuse, and experiencing negative impacts on the victim’s relationships with family, friends, and coworkers (RAINN, 2023).
Because of the sheer prevalence of sexual assault, it can be gauged that about every 68 seconds an American is sexually assaulted (Department of Justice, 2020). Annually, this averages to
463,634 victims of sexual assault and rape each year in the United States (RAINN, 2023).
Consequently, sexual trauma is a looming predicament in the U.S. that often goes
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Military sexual trauma is a massive setback in all branches of the U.S. military and leaves many victims, especially women, with mental health complications and intransigent plans for leaving the military for good.
Reporting sexual crimes in the military also has its risks. Workplace retaliation and perceived retaliation are major factors in why reporting such crimes is especially challenging.
Almost half of all active duty women who reported a sexual crime also described a deep concern of perceived retaliation including threats to their military service record and their future careers
(Dardis et al., 2018). Victims fear that they would be subject to Article 15s, a form of administrative discipline, for participating in concurrent activities such as illegal alcohol use or fraternization (Dardis et al., 2018). Furthermore, between the fiscal years of 2012 and 2014, over
63% of women military personnel who formally reported a sexual harassment or assault file, experienced some form of workplace retaliation (White, 2021). Workplace retaliation can take many forms including being ignored by coworkers, being transferred to a different unit, being denied promotion or training, and/or being disciplined for infractions associated with the
SFC Vanessa Barquero is a Senior Human Resource Instructor with 6th Battalion, 104th Regiment, 4th Brigade, 94th Division, located at Camp Parks, California with an additional duty of Sexual Harassment/ Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP) Victim Advocate. Prior to her current assignment, she served as a Line of Duty Human Resources Sergeant for the Health Services Branch at 63D Regional Support Command, located at Mountain View, California. Born in El Salvador but raised in California, she graduated from Menlo Atherton High School in June of 1999 and enlisted in the United States Army Reserve. SFC Barquero has served in a variety of positions in the Army reserve program. Her previous assignments include: 801st Engineer Company; 301st Maneuver Enhancement Brigade as a Carpentry and Masonry Specialist; 91st Training Division (Operations) as Human Resources NCO in the G-1 section; US Army
In this scholarly article researcher Tai Hawk evaluates PTSD as a whole analyzing the causes, effects, and possible outcomes of the self-described “epidemic”. Hawk analysis over 40 different forms of literature to bring forth his own conclusions and feasible theories. Hawk begins by giving a brief overview of why the cases of PTSD are increasing now then in earlier more violent wars, the answer is with advancing technology, and better healthcare soldiers outlive the trauma that they would have killed them 20 years earlier. Hawk later does an in depth review of the three forms of PTSD and their distinguishing features. The final criteria Hawk addressed was rehabilitation of veterans with PTSD and the difficulties that they must overcome, including
Over 20% of women within the military have been sexually assaulted, as well as 1% of men. Yes, men as well. The terrible thing regarding this statistic, is that it leads to another one. Of all the rapes that occur, usually only 175 perpetrators get jail time for their crime and wrongdoing. Not surprisingly, this loops around to the commanders not reporting the rape and the military covering it up.
Imagine joining the military at a young age, preparing to see the world, make new friends, and form a bond that often rivals that of close siblings. Only to endure the unthinkable the unimaginable an attack not by a foreign enemy but at the hands of a fellow soldier or superior officer. This is the tragic truth for many soldiers, both men and women alike, it is not uncommon and it is an invisible wound that lasts long after the soldier returns to civilian life. This paper will reflect the importance of change within the Veterans Administration regarding Military Sexual Trauma. Ruth Moore, joined the military at the tender age of eighteen from a poor background expecting the military to help her pay for college.
These issues are likely to have repercussions for wives and children. As a result, when compared to a control group, spouses of veterans reported significantly higher physical symptoms, anxiety, sadness, and social dysfunction, as well as significantly lower self-esteem and family cohesion.” (Al-Turkait and Ohaeri). Soldiers frequently develop post-traumatic stress symptoms after dealing with severely injured, suicides, injured children, and deceased individuals. Untreated traumatic events can lead to bad and uncaring behavior toward others, including family members.
3. I know that mostly men get raped in the military and they are ashamed of speaking up. The rapist is usually someone in a higher position and threatens them if he/she ever spoke up about what happened to him. 4. I need to find statistics showing the amount of people that get raped in the military.
Over the centuries of war we have found new ways to help veterans deal with this condition or live with this condition. Things that can help veterans with this condition are service dogs, certain prescribed medications, or counseling along with other options. “ A nationwide system of community based centers, known as Vet Centers or readjustment counseling Service Vet Centers, provides counseling for psychological war trauma,” (Veteran Affairs Department 2001 page n.p.). In these centers veterans can seek help from professionals and can get answers to their problems. They can get counseling and meet with groups of other veterans that are going through the same thing.
The purpose of this study is to determine if trauma that occurred before, after, or while serving in the military is related to the high percentages of homelessness in veterans. Hypothesis If veterans experienced trauma while serving, before serving, or after serving in armed forces the odds of them being homeless are increased. Trauma has a strong correlation to mental health issues which can affect one’s stability in life. Research Methodology Participants were contacted through a Veterans Affairs residential rehabilitation program and the study was completed through
In society and college campuses, sexual assault occurs quite frequently. According to an estimation one third of women experience a forced sexual experience at least once in their life and most of the time it occurs in colleges. Men have also been reported to be victim of sexual assaults mostly by other men. Most of the time the sexual assault is planned and perpetrated by a third person, who is known to the victim of incident. Drug and alcohol use play role in this issue and contribute to the problem as most of the time the victim and perpetrators are under the effect of alcohol or any other drug during the incident.
Many soldiers experienced gruesome, traumatizing events during World War II, but many men were judged if they appeared to show signs of what people now call PTSD. Many men were greatly affected than what met the eye, “Sympathy was only rarely forthcoming. Sufferers had no choice but to acknowledge that their reputations as soldiers and men had been dealt a severe blow. After a major bombardment or particularly bloody attack, if the combatant had acquitted himself adequately, signs of emotional 'weakness' could be overlooked, but in the midst of the fray, the attitude was much less sympathetic.” (Bourke P. 4)
The men and women who put their lives at stake for our country, so that citizens may feel safe and secure in the United States, struggle with their own personal battles that impact their lives significantly. According to a recent 2015 poll, nearly 52,336 soldiers were physically wounded, about 320,000 soldiers were suffering from traumatic brain injury, and almost 400,000 soldiers were troubled with post traumatic stress disorder. Physical wounds are a reality of war, and they come in many forms, but these statistics show that brain and emotional injuries are ultimately affecting more war veterans. Given the highly stressful context in which war injuries occur, traumatic brain injury and post traumatic stress disorder are commonly diagnosed
Nearly 20 percent of 30,000 suicides are attributed to veterans each year (Cesar, Sabia & Tekin, 2012). This number represents a substantial number of military personnel suffering with mental health problems. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (2011) PTSD impairs one’s ability to function in social or family life, which includes instability, marital problems, divorce, family conflict, and difficulty in parenting (p. 3). PTSD causes much impairment and has many contributing factors; for that reason, it is important to discuss the quality of services available to
In some cases, the service member has faced charges in both court systems. Numerous articles and television reports expose sexual assaults and rape that occurs within the ranks of the U.S. military. The military is constantly under scrutiny for its policies, the handling of sexual assault cases, and the treatment of sexual assault victims. Yet despite
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in The Things They Carried During the turbulent times of the Vietnam War, thousands of young men entered the warzone and came face-to-face with unimaginable scenes of death, destruction, and turmoil. While some perished in the dense Asian jungles, others returned to American soil and were forced to confront their lingering combat trauma. Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried provides distinct instances of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and reveals the psychological trauma felt by soldiers in the Vietnam War. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD for short, is the most common mental illness affecting soldiers both on and off the battlefield.
Angela Davis demonstrates the ongoing violent abuse as she quotes a report on sexual maltreatment in women’s prisons, “We found that male correctional employees have vaginally, anally, and orally raped female prisoners and sexually assaulted and abused them” (Davis 78). However disturbing this blunt sexual contact that male officers take with the vulnerable prisoners may be, the officers adopt even more severe tactics to harass and abuse the women as they often utilize “mandatory pat-frisks or room searches to grope women 's breasts, buttocks, and vaginal areas...” (Davis 79). To add insult to injury, women are virtually incapable of escaping from their abuser(s). Prison employees upkeep their inappropriate behavior as it is believed they will “rarely be held accountable, administratively or criminally” (Davis 78).