Essay On Military Sexual Assault

Sexual assault is a serious crime that is extremely consequential in the United States, especially within the U.S. Armed Forces. Although sexual assault is a serious crime in and out of the military, the military seems to look over the issue. According to an article by Jennifer Koons, the Pentagon has stated, approximately 3,000 service members reported being sexually assaulted in 2012. While that number is somewhat large, a confidential Department of Defense survey suggests an even bigger number closer to 26,000 (14,000 were men), 8 times more than reported by the Pentagon. Although some reports are filed, this situation identifies that instead of conducting thorough investigations, they simply did not care. Unlike civilians who commit sexual crimes against another, members of the military have a separate code of conduct, legal system, police, and court. Members of the military are tried through the court-martial process, which is regulated by the Uniform Code of Military Justice, whereas, civilian sexual assault is mandated by the Criminal Justice System (Thomson Reuters, 2016). In order to grasp a better understanding of what military sexual assault is, sexual assault must be defined. According to Article 120 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the law states that sexual assault occurs when someone commits a sexual act against another person by “threatening …show more content…
Consequently, male victims face a loss of masculinity and sexual orientation as a result of being taken advantage of by another man or woman. Furthermore, male victims often hide their victimization of sexual assault, such as rape due to the feelings of shame and fear of being labeled as a homosexual, which could lead to harassment and discharged for being dishonorable for crimes committed against them (Turchik, pg.