Rape in the Military Rape is a type of sexual assault where the assailant forces sexual intercourse on a victim without consent. When a person thinks of rape in the military they may think of the enemy kidnapping soldiers and raping them. But this is not the case, the very soldiers that risks their lives to protect us get raped by a fellow soldiers within the military. Many people lack awareness about this very topic because the victims have fear in reporting it. If people knew about the high rates of sexual assault and rape in the military they would think twice before joining. Rape is a serious issue that needs to be dealt with. In order to help prevent rape, we need to understand military rape laws, the history of rape in the military,
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Stander and Cynthia J. Thomsen’s research on Sexual Harassment and Assault has led to finding factors that allow rape to occur in the military. The research was done on why rape and sexual assault rates are higher in the military than in the civilian population. One of the factors that come into play is demographics. The military is primarily young men that are single and “low-ranking personnel” in the military (Stander & Thomsen, page 22). Another factor that is considered is the military structure and policy. The military policies refer to the military laws that prevent victims from reporting the assault such as when military officials use their ranks against their victims. The social structure in the military plays a role in the rates of rape. It is very common that the perpetrator is of a higher rank than the victim (Stander & Thomsen). Another important factor is the military culture. According to the article, “Son, Men Don’t Get Raped,” by Nathaniel Penn, he mentions that the military culture is based off of two things: obedience and aggression. Penn claims that if these two factors are not in balance sexual violence will occurs. Furthermore, the rape myths within the military is a reason why perpetrators do not think rape or sexually assault is a big
Stander and Cynthia J. Thomsen’s research on Sexual Harassment and Assault has led to finding factors that allow rape to occur in the military. The research was done on why rape and sexual assault rates are higher in the military than in the civilian population. One of the factors that come into play is demographics. The military is primarily young men that are single and “low-ranking personnel” in the military (Stander & Thomsen, page 22). Another factor that is considered is the military structure and policy. The military policies refer to the military laws that prevent victims from reporting the assault such as when military officials use their ranks against their victims. The social structure in the military plays a role in the rates of rape. It is very common that the perpetrator is of a higher rank than the victim (Stander & Thomsen). Another important factor is the military culture. According to the article, “Son, Men Don’t Get Raped,” by Nathaniel Penn, he mentions that the military culture is based off of two things: obedience and aggression. Penn claims that if these two factors are not in balance sexual violence will occurs. Furthermore, the rape myths within the military is a reason why perpetrators do not think rape or sexually assault is a big