(WASHINGTON, DC) — Today, the Defense Department released its Annual Report of Sexual Harassment and Sexual Violence at the Military Service Academies. The report addresses the June 2012 — May 2013 school year, and reveals statistics indicating a hostile climate in which victims believe academy leadership will not adequately respond to harassment and sexual violence within the ranks.
“Today’s new Defense Department sexual harassment and sexual violence report reveals a pervasive hostile climate at our nation’s military academies,” said Anu Bhagwati, Service Women’s Action Network executive director and former Marine Corps captain. “Sexist attitudes have been ingrained in Academy culture, and numbers suggest that cadets and midshipmen lack faith and confidence in the reporting system. Recent incidents at West Point and the Naval Academy indicate the widespread mistreatment and abuse of service women. Service academies must take decisive steps to transform this culture, including vastly increasing the number of women at the academies. Stopping sexual assault in the ranks starts with stopping sexual assault at our service academies.”
Key findings include:
Reports of sexual assaults dropped from 80 reports last year to 70 reports during the 2012-2013 academic year.
More than half of all reports were “restricted reports” which did not lead to investigations or punishments.
Cadets surveyed indicated that sexist behavior is a normal and accepted part of service academy life.
To access a full copy of the report, click here.
SWAN (www.servicewomen.org) is a national nonpartisan civil rights organization founded and led by women veterans. SWAN’s mission is to transform military culture by securing equal opportunity and the freedom to serve in uniform without discrimination, harassment or assault; and to reform veterans’ services to ensure high quality health care and benefits for women veterans and their families. You can follow Service Women’s Action Network on Twitter at twitter.com/servicewomen, or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/servicewomen.