US military sexual assault victims face retaliation: Report
US military personnel who are sexually assaulted and report the crime often encounter retaliation, while soldiers who sexually abuse and retaliate rarely face punishment, an international human rights organization says.
US troops who have reported sexual assaults are 12 times more likely to be retaliated against than to see their attacker convicted of sex crimes, according to a report released Monday by Human Rights Watch.
The 18-month investigation by Human Rights Watch found that troops reporting sexual assaults have faced retaliation ranging from degrading insults to social isolation and even death threats, which they say was actually worse than the assault itself.
Other forms of retaliation range from vandalism and harassment to poor work assignments, loss of promotion opportunities, disciplinary action including discharge, and even criminal charges.
The report was based on a review of military documents and interviews with more than 150 victims of sexual assaults since October 2013.
"The US military's progress in getting people to report sexual assaults isn't going to continue as long as retaliation for making a report goes unpunished," said Sara Darehshori, a counsel at Human Rights Watch, who helped write the report.
A survey for the US Defense Department released in May found that 62 percent of women who reported sexual assaults believed they had been subjected to retaliation.
More than 47 percent of sexual assault victims in the military are female, while nearly 53 percent are male.
"We are very concerned whenever we hear about retaliation associated with reports of sexual assault, and we are open to any information, analysis, insight and partnerships that will help us craft and improve our way forward," said Laura Seal, a Pentagon spokeswoman.
The Pentagon has been under intense pressure to address the problem of sexual assault following a series of high-profile cases in recent years.
Research conducted this year estimated there were about 20,000 sexual assaults in the US military in 2014, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said earlier this month.
AHT/HRJ
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