The War Against Sexual Harassment in The Military

Usually, when people think about the military they think about the actual wars the soldiers are fighting. Very rarely do people think about the unspoken war that is being fought between fellow soldiers; that war is sexual harassment. It is very common in the military for women to be sexually harassed by fellow soldiers and even officers who are their superior. Often times, people in the military use their rank to get sexual favors from people below them. As a person who wants to follow chain of command and takes orders seriously, that person is more than likely going to perform those sexual favors without reporting the incident. As demonstrated in the case study, Sexual Harassment in the Military, there are many reasons why women do not report sexual harassment, it shows that sexual harassment happens in every branch of the military not just one, and there are proposals to help put an end to sexual harassment within in the military.

It is difficult to eliminate sexual harassment in the military completely because men and women are mixed and people do not take the rule seriously. The only way to end sexual harassment between men and women is to separate them completely. It is important for people to understand that it is a difficult decision for women to report sexual harassment to begin with. It’s difficult for women because they do not want to be seen as getting special treatment. There are people who think that women shouldn’t be allowed in the military and if women are constantly filing complaints about sexual harassment, people may view that as women being weak. As mentioned in the case study, “The emphasis here is on conforming and succeeding in a system of strict military discipline, and not asking for special treatment or consideration as a woman” (DeLatt 84). People make the argument that the person who sexually harassed the woman has a family, but honestly I do not think that the woman who was sexually harassed if the man has a family or not. It’s more about being viewed as equal to the fellow male soldiers and being able to handle their own.

Another problem women in the military have about reporting sexual harassment is worrying that they will be the ones to regret reporting it. In the beginning stages when women report sexual harassment, their commanders try to turn the problem on them to make it seem like they encouraged it. After insisting on being innocent and being completely violated against their will, women will go through with the report, but most of the time it ends with their image being destroyed and no punishment for the man. Women who report sexual harassment start getting treated differently by their peers and it becomes an unbearable situation. DeLatt supported this opinion in the case study by including “I think many women also fear nothing will be done, and they will have suffered embarrassment, and ostracism by their peers, probably punished by the commanders, with no positive result”. The sad reality is that many men get away without any punishments even if they are found guilty of sexual harassing a woman.

People tend to be oblivious to sexual harassment happening in a certain branch. People may think that sexual harassment only happens in one branch, but it actually happens in every branch. The case study started out by describing cadets of the Air Force Academy being raped and sexually harassed. It didn’t happen just once, there were many women who stepped forward and claimed they were raped and sexually harassed there. Then the case study gives detail about research conducted on sexual harassment and assault at U.S. Army Academy at West Point and the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis. “At West Point 6% of the female cadets experienced sexual assault, 41% of them reported them, and 39% of those 41% said they experienced repercussions; 62% of the females experienced sexual harassment.” (DeLatt 87). Those statistics cover that sexual harassment happens in the Army. Now the Navy, DeLatt provided that “5% of females experienced sexual assault, 40% reported it, and 59% or the females experienced sexual harassment.” Sexual harassment is a major problem in the military and it needs to be stopped.

The first step of preventing sexual harassment from even occurring is for the military to stress that they take sexual harassment seriously. According to Powell, “organizations must create cultures that prevent sexual harassment in the first place”. However, as the case study mentioned sexual harassment training was never taken seriously. “Report of The Defense Task Force on Sexual Harassment & Violence at the Military Service Academies” includes proposals that targets problems presented in the case study and that could potentially eliminate sexual harassment. The first problem addressed was confidentiality. The military needs to put more efforts in privacy and confidentiality for women who have been sexually harassed and assaulted. Women who tend to report sexual harassment has their images ruined, thus getting treated differently by peers. Another problem addressed is offender accountability. The report sought to make sure that the victim is not to be blamed and it was entirely the offender. The last problem addressed relating to the case study is having the sexual harassment classes taken seriously. The solution is for the sexual harassment course to be graded and a passing grade be required for completion of training. These are realistic solutions because confidentiality will make it easier for women to report the incidents, an increase offender accountability will ensure proper punishment to the offender, and having the sexual harassment course graded ensures the cadets are actually paying attention and comprehending the subject of sexual harassment and assault. Similar efforts have been described in 2006-2007 and 2010-2011 “Reports on Sexual Harassment and Violence at Military Academies.”

The highlight of the 2006 2007 report was to make sure the sexual harassment course became graded. Also it wanted to establish an increased community collaboration to help stop sexual harassment and assault. The highlights and differences of the 2010-2011 report are improving knowledge and understanding within the academies about sexual harassment and assault. It sought to improve response for people filing sexual harassment and sexual assault claims. Another difference the 2010-2011 report explained was there is a different filing procedure for a sexual assault claim verses a sexual harassment claim. The new report provided plans of action on how to fight sexual harassment. The new reports with proposals have a great chance at succeeding because the reports seek to bring awareness and understanding, solve the problem, and provides examples of what can be done in the future to maintain no sexual harassment in the military. It also targets realistic problems that soldiers are experiencing regarding sexual harassment and assault.

Sexual harassment is a very serious problem in the military, even today after increased efforts to prevent it. It’s hard to force everyone to follow the rules, but it is important that the offender is receiving proper punishment, so they do not become a repeating offender. The case study, Sexual Harassment in the Military, covered the many reasons why women do not report sexual harassment, it shows that sexual harassment happens in every branch of the military not just one, and there are proposals to help put an end to sexual harassment within in the military. Women should not be afraid to report sexual harassment or assault incidents. Efforts and proposals have been made, but more action is needed to end this war between men and women in the military.

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