Acknowledge sex crimes

[thedrifter]

Issue Date: December 08, 2003

Editorial
Acknowledge sex crimes


The Senate Armed Services Committee is taking a hard look at how the military handles sexual-assault complaints.
It?s about time.

Sexual misconduct and crimes within the military have been a dirty little secret for too long.

Just a few years ago, the frightening prospect of a female POW being raped or abused was used as a key argument against letting women serve in combat jobs. It is ironic ? and shameful ? that women stand a far greater chance of suffering rape and sexual abuse within their own commands.

Many lawmakers claim to have been oblivious to this sad fact.

?We had no idea that these situations even existed,? said Dick Wadhams, spokesman for Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo.

Hogwash.

Long before Tailhook; the sexual misconduct that ended the career of Sgt. Maj. of the Army Eugene McKinney and numerous senior officers in recent years; and the recent Air Force Academy scandal, this was a problem.

Of course, the military has not been forthcoming in this matter.

Through the Freedom of Information Act, this newspaper requested in August statistics on sex-crime complaints, investigations, prosecutions and convictions within each military service. To date, only the Air Force has responded, and its data were partial at best.

Still, what those numbers show is that the Senate is right to investigate. In the past 12 years, the Air Force has brought to court-martial some 1,200 cases involving sexual assault, of which more than 900 involved children and 437 involved rape.

Based on what we know about the academy scandal ? that many women never came forward for fear of being punished themselves ? odds are those numbers are just the tip of the iceberg.

It?s long past time for Congress and the Defense Department to acknowledge this problem and come clean about the severity of the disgrace. Only then can they begin the work of ensuring such crimes are taken seriously, victims are not blamed and violators are dealt with quickly and decisively.


http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/sto...PER-2434597.php


Sempers,

Roger