The U.S. military always has taken upon itself the responsibility of protecting, not only Americans, but the entire world and making it a safer place to live.
But right now, it is the military that needs protecting … from itself.
Sexual assaults in military unacceptable
In a survey released by the Department of Defense, it was estimated there were 26,000 cases of sexual assault in the military in 2012.
This is a 35 percent increase from the 2010 report the department conducted where an estimated 19,300 cases were reported.
Members of the military are taught to suck it up, get through the pain and be tough when it comes to doing its job.
And, apparently, that’s what the officials would like the troops to do as well when a sexual assault occurs: be tough and suck it up.
This type of news belittles the work the soldiers do at home and overseas.
And instead of being recognized for the work they do and the sacrifices they make, it’s overshadowed by the actions of others.
A lot of the problem lies with the people in charge of the sexual assault prevention programs, with an Army sergeant at the head of a program being investigated for an alleged sexual assault and other officials looking to undermine soldiers from reporting their assault, according to CNN.com.
The government needs to take a serious look at its policies and make some changes when it comes to how sexual assault cases are taken forward, punishments for those convicted of a sexual assault and the chain of command when a sexual assault is reported.
The most notable number out of all of this is the rise from 19,300 to 26,000 cases of assault in the 2010 report to the 2012 report.
The government said this is a big deal and changes need to be made so these types of cases don’t happen as often.
But if that were the case, why wasn’t this made such a big deal when the 2010 report came out and try to reduce the 19,300 number?
The public would like to believe the government when it say it’s going to do something, they’re going to do it. But it’s hard to believe it now after an almost 7,000-case increase in the 2012 report.
READ MORE
It shows the unimportance of the issue and the lack of effort by the government to improve the safety of the soldiers.
It’s important to correct this problem now. Every year, a new generation of soldiers is coming through the ranks and it’s important to teach them why this is wrong. Otherwise, they’re going to think this type of action is acceptable.
And right now, that seems like it’s the biggest problem.
Support student media! Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.
