The Issue of Sexual Assault in the Military In 2013 there were 28,700 military members that were sexually assaulted (Cernak). It is one of the largest issues in the United States military and it is being handled very poorly. All of the militaries time and money being out towards sexual assault are being used on repetitive training that is obviously not working because the numbers of sexual assaults going the wrong direction every year. Because of this training, victims know the options available to them but, they are not reporting them. Training to educate a predator that sexual assault is not going to reach the issue at its core. Everyone knows that sexual assault is bad and telling them over and over that it is not bad is not changing anything.
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USC involves intentional sexual contact that was against a person’s will or occurred when the person did not or could not consent. The term describes completed and attempted oral, anal, and vaginal penetration with any body part or object, and the unwanted touching of genitalia and other sexually-related areas of the body.
Consent is a sober, voluntary, and wanted verbal mutual agreement of sexual actions. It cannot be legally given while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Even if two people are married, one cannot give consent if they are not sober. Sexual assault is more than just penetration also, it includes touching any part of the body, even clothed, without the other persons …show more content…
Sexual assault is an epidemic in the military that isn’t being controlled; “according to the U.S. government, in 2012, there were 26,000 sexual assaults in the U.S. military-almost 35 percent more than in 2011” ("Sexual Assault: A Stain on the U.S. Military"). That number is still raising today. The stats show that what the military is doing about sexual assault is not working. It needs to go further than simply training military members and telling them that it is bad. Amy Ziering emphasizes that the military is not taking the right steps in her interview in Sexual Assault: A Stain on the U.S. Military by saying that “you cannot educate a serial predator from doing what he or she is going to do. A poster or training seminar will not act as a deterrent.” Everyone one knows that sexual assault is wrong. Simply telling everyone over and over is not going to change a thing. Leaders need to start taking actions to prevent sexual assault instead of trying to prevent it at the individual level. Supervisors and leaders cannot accept inappropriate behavior. Inappropriate jokes, inappropriate pictures, and inappropriate remarks need to be stopped. Anything that can provoke sexual violence should be removed from the workplace. The change that is needed in sexual assault is sitting on the shoulders of the leaders, not in the classroom
USC involves intentional sexual contact that was against a person’s will or occurred when the person did not or could not consent. The term describes completed and attempted oral, anal, and vaginal penetration with any body part or object, and the unwanted touching of genitalia and other sexually-related areas of the body.
Consent is a sober, voluntary, and wanted verbal mutual agreement of sexual actions. It cannot be legally given while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Even if two people are married, one cannot give consent if they are not sober. Sexual assault is more than just penetration also, it includes touching any part of the body, even clothed, without the other persons …show more content…
Sexual assault is an epidemic in the military that isn’t being controlled; “according to the U.S. government, in 2012, there were 26,000 sexual assaults in the U.S. military-almost 35 percent more than in 2011” ("Sexual Assault: A Stain on the U.S. Military"). That number is still raising today. The stats show that what the military is doing about sexual assault is not working. It needs to go further than simply training military members and telling them that it is bad. Amy Ziering emphasizes that the military is not taking the right steps in her interview in Sexual Assault: A Stain on the U.S. Military by saying that “you cannot educate a serial predator from doing what he or she is going to do. A poster or training seminar will not act as a deterrent.” Everyone one knows that sexual assault is wrong. Simply telling everyone over and over is not going to change a thing. Leaders need to start taking actions to prevent sexual assault instead of trying to prevent it at the individual level. Supervisors and leaders cannot accept inappropriate behavior. Inappropriate jokes, inappropriate pictures, and inappropriate remarks need to be stopped. Anything that can provoke sexual violence should be removed from the workplace. The change that is needed in sexual assault is sitting on the shoulders of the leaders, not in the classroom