Three Congresswomen Are Serious About Stamping Out Sexual Abuse in the U.S. Military
LatestThe military’s track record with handling cases of sexual assault has been less than sterling, which is an extremely understated way of saying that it has been a travesty that only seems to become more outrageous with each new allegation of abuse perpetrated, covered-up, and, for a time, forgotten. Three Democratic congresswomen serving on the U.S. House Armed Services Committee, however, are putting pressure on all branches of the military to completely overhaul the way they cope with instances of sexual assault, which may include introducing a measure that would make it a crime for a military supervisor to know about sexual abuse and not report it.
U.S. Representatives Loretta Sanchez, Susan Davis, and Jackie Speier called for these sweeping reforms after visiting Lackland Air Force Base — the home of what may perhaps be the biggest sex scandal in military history — on Tuesday. Among the litany of changes these three lawmakers would like to see implemented on the double are stricter abuse reporting requirements, embedding sexual abuse counselors into the ranks of trainees, and teaching instructors that it’s part of their sworn duty to prevent abuse within their ranks. Said Davis, “We must have enough in place institutionally for people to be able to see problems and dangers, and be able to act on them.”