Until they fix this here situation....you might want to think twice before sending your girl off to fight for this country. In fact every woman and man in America ought to be outraged right about now no matter what race they are.
Personally I'm livid because I already know that women do not have a voice in this country as with many others, and this is nothing short of the way many are treated. It just so happens that now... it's happening to veterans ( women and men I might add). Where's the code in this?
Sorry, this won't get swept under the rug so easily.
In order to make the changes the culture will have to change!
Remember when conservatives in Congress held a hearing on birth control and didn't allow a single woman to testify?
Yesterday, the Senate held a hearing on the national crisis of s*xual assault in the military--and didn't hear from one single survivor of s*xual assault. The Senate committee invited 2 supporters of reform and 18 opponents--a dangerously lopsided ratio that doesn't reflect public opinion.
Déjà vu all over again.
The problem of s*xual assault in the military is not a new one. And it's getting worse--a recent Pentagon report found a 30% increase in s*xual assaults over the past year. The military has tried to curb assault before, but obviously it hasn't worked. Less than 5% of reported assaults are ever prosecuted. Survivors and advocates are clear: We need to take prosecution out of the chain of command.
When the Senate holds a hearing where opponents outnumber supporters 18-to-2, and not a single survivor is asked to tell her story, it's just a sham. Opponents of reform have stacked the deck against the best solution to this problem: Taking these cases out of the chain of command.
There's a big national spotlight on the issue of military s*xual assault right now--everyone from the President, to members of both parties in Congress, to military leaders knows it's a problem. They need to invite testimony from servicewomen who have survived s*xual assault in the military?
At the hearing, most members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff all argued against taking s*xual assault cases out of the chain of command. They even said that before this year, dealing with rape in the service wasn’t a priority. But if members of Congress or military leaders have any doubt about the severity of this problem, all they need to do is listen to the survivors.
If the Senate is serious about solving this problem, they need to stop stacking their hearings with people who oppose legislation to fix it and start listening to servicewomen who have been affected by it. They need to listen to the testimony of survivors of military s*xual assault. You think?
Sources:
1. Democratic Women Boycott House Contraception Hearing After Republicans Prevent Women From Testifying, ThinkProgress, February 16, 2013
2. Senate s*xual assault hearing “forgets” to invite victims of s*xual assault, AmericaBlog, June 4, 2013
3. Pentagon: Estimated 26,000 s*xual Assaults In Military Last Year, Think Progress, May 7, 2013
4. Military brass vow: s*xual assault issue now a priority, CBS News, June 4, 2013
5. Pentagon: Estimated 26,000 s*xual Assaults In Military Last Year, Think Progress, May 7, 2013
6. Hagel: 'Outrage, disgust' as Air Force leader charged with s*xual battery, CNN, May 7, 2013
U.S. military faces historic tipping point on rape epidemic, NBC News, May 15, 2013
Posted By: Min.Dr.LaDonna Blaylock D.D.
Wednesday, June 5th 2013 at 9:54PM
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