Sexual assault up a mind boggling 30% in the military over past 2 years.

[Gravitycollapse]

http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/07/us/pentagon-sexual-assault-report/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

(CNN) -- The number of service members anonymously reporting a sexual assault grew by more than 30% in the past two years, according to a Pentagon report released Tuesday.

The Defense Department estimated that more than 26,000 troops experienced an episode of "unwanted sexual contact," a huge jump from the 19,300 figure in the 2010 report.

"Sexual assault is a despicable crime and one of the most serious challenges facing this department," Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told reporters at a briefing on the survey. "It's a threat to the safety and the welfare of our people and to the health, reputation and trust of this institution."

The actual number of sexual crimes reported in the fiscal year 2012 was 3,374, a 6% increase over the previous year, the report said. Military officials worry that many victims don't come forward because they are frightened of retaliation. But the numbers might indicate that more victims are willing to report crimes than in the past.

This is goddamn unacceptable.

[DonCoquixote]

1. Gee

Put people all of alll sexes on three or four tours, give them equipment so bad,parents have to go to Florida gun shows, and encourage a meathead roid rage mode, and people wonder why the miltary has gone to hell.

[BainsBane]

4. What does that have to do with rape?

Are you asserting there is something natural about rape? Or that is is caused by poor equipment? This is the result of insufficient prosecution of sexual assaults.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

5. Or possibly the result of *better* prosecution of sexual assaults.

What has gone up is the number of *reports* of sexual assault, not necessarily the number of sexual assaults. It's likely that at least part of the change is victims coming forward, and that may be because of increased hope of conviction.

It *may* also be that there are more sexual assaults happening, but I think the former is more likely, because I think changes in official behaviour can happen faster and more dramatically than changes in individual behaviour on a wide scale.

[BainsBane]

6. That's precisely what the military says

to avoid doing anything.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

7. What makes you think it is not the case? N.T.

[BainsBane]

8. Because of the testimony of rape victims

talking about how they are pressured into not reporting the crime. They have to report to their commanding officer, who sometimes is the rapist. A general in the air force single handedly overturned a conviction last week. The problem is obviously endemic, and when rapists know they can get away with it, they keep offending.

[DonCoquixote]

9. NO

It means that Uncle Sam knows the seeds were sown for this and did Jack Diddly.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

2. No, reports of sexual assault are up 30% - that may well actually be good news.

It depends whether it's due to an increase in number of assaults or in the proportion of assaults reported, and the latter strikes me as more likely to change that dramatically.

[Recursion]

3. ^^^ That

It's like saying "autism is skyrocketing" now that doctors know what to look for.

[4 t 4]

10. you don't know if it's skyrocketing or they just know now to look for

it, you don't know ? They don't know!