US Women More likely to be Raped than Killed in Iraq

Jane Herman (D-Venice) wrote an enlightening piece in the LA Times today that sheds light on women in the armed forces. According to him, "women serving the US military are more likely to be raped by a fellow soldier than killed by enemy fire in Iraq."

At the heart of this crisis is an apparent inability or unwillingness to prosecute rapists in the ranks. According to DOD statistics, only 181 out of 2,212 subjects investigated for sexual assault in 2007, including 1,259 reports of rape, were referred to courts-martial, the equivalent of a criminal prosecution in the military. Another 218 were handled via nonpunitive administrative action or discharge, and 201 subjects were disciplined through "nonjudicial punishment," which means they may have been confined to quarters, assigned extra duty or received a similar slap on the wrist. In nearly half of the cases investigated, the chain of command took no action; more than a third of the time, that was because of "insufficient evidence."

The absence of rigorous prosecution perpetuates a culture tolerant of sexual assault -- an attitude that says "boys will be boys."

Numbers reported by the Department of Defense shows in 2006, 2,947 sexual assaults were reported. That is a 73% gain from 2004. The latest DOD report indicates that 2,688 reports were made in 2007.

Harman has raised the issue with defense Secretary Robert GatesSecretary Robert Gates and the US Congress requesting that we do more to protect servicewomen. So far the response has been marginal...