Military sexual assault numbers staggering 0
After reading and hearing more about the mysterious death of Pfc. LaVena Johnson, my mind was spinning at the thoughts of the type of brutality she must have suffered at the hands of her attacker(s). More disturbing was the fact that it could have been a fellow soldier or soldiers that did this to her.
What the LaVena Johnson case seems to shed light on is an ugly truth about the military — sexual assaults of female military personnel are wildly prevalent.
Recently, doctors for a Veterans Affairs hospital in the Los Angeles area testified in front of Congress that some 41% of female veterans seen there said they had been victims of sexual assault while in the military.
A recent study by the Government Accountability Office may put that number even higher, across the board.
“At the 14 installations where GAO administered its survey, 103 service members indicated that they had been sexually assaulted within the preceding 12 months. Of these, 52 service members indicated that they did not report the sexual assault.”
In looking at the numbers, Rep. Jane Harman, D-California, stated it most profoundly:
“Women serving in the U.S. military today are more likely to be raped by a fellow soldier than killed by enemy fire in Iraq.”
Women soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen are expected to risk life and limb in service to their country. However, these threats should not be coming from fellow military personnel.
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