Study: Female U.S. Veterans Suffer Sexual Trauma

[Hissyspit]

Source: AFP

Female US veterans suffer sexual trauma: study

Tue Oct 28, 9:55 pm ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) – Nearly 15 percent of female US veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan experienced sexual trauma during their military service, the Department of Veterans Affairs said in a study.

The study, based on data from 100,000 veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom who used VA health care, found that more than one in seven women reported having experienced "military sexual trauma".

The study, covering a six year period, also found that 0.7 percent of men returning from duty reported military sexual trauma.

Individuals, both female and male, who experienced sexual trauma in the service had a greater probability of being diagnosed with a mental illness upon return than those who did not report such trauma, researchers found. The trauma, ranging from repeated sexual advances and intimidation to rape, can lead to depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and a propensity for drug abuse, according to the study.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081029/ts_alt_afp/healthusconflictmilitarypsychiatry_081029015510

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

1. Repeated sexual advances=sexual trauma?

I'm not sure about that definition. Maybe if they said unwanted sexual advances. Just seems kind of vague to me.

David

[Fedja]

4. It's a military setting.

In the army, when your superior orders something, you do it without asking. Any sexual advance in a setting like that is far different than one you'd experience at the average workplace.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

30. Clearly sexual advances from a superior officer are inappropriate.

Especially a superior officer within your command.

David

[mahina]

5. Well, if you don't know about the rapes and murders of women in the military, it is heartbreaking.

http://www.truthout.org/101708J Military Town Newspaper Challenges US Military on Murder of Military Women - remember, rape is a crime of agression, using sex as a weapon.

http://www.truthout.org/article/why-soldiers-rape Why Soldiers Rape

I come from a military family, am not saying this is universal by any means, but case after case has occurred in which CO's have used their power to coerce women to have sex with them. Several of those women have ended up dead.

Wish it weren't true, but it is.

"The trauma, ranging from repeated sexual advances and intimidation to rape, can lead to depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and a propensity for drug abuse, according to the study."

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

31. Coercion and a peer to peer sexual advance are completely seperate issues.

Hence my confusion at why more distinction wasn't made.

David

[La Lioness Priyanka]

12. repeated sexual advances in a work environment can be traumatic

i feel like more straight men would understand this, if other men would hit on them constantly.

[heliarc]

15. You'd be surprised...

at the lack of resilience of the male mind...

I live in Hollywood... and if you use a gym locker room in Hollywood, you are often hit on by men. Mind you I make no suggestion that this is comparable to the Military or a work environment, but you would think that men would get an idea from this how it is for women or be able to make a deduction from their own experience... I have a co-worker who hates it, and he sees no relation to his own hound dogging and misogyny.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

17. interesting. ..

[kwassa]

35. I've had that experience in sport clubs there

both in Hollywood and West Hollywood.

I used one temporarily in West Hollywood after the Northridge quake had destroyed the interior of my old gym on the east side of Hollywood.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

32. I understand annoying, I don't understand traumatic.

Of course my idea of traumatic is likely far, far different from most peoples idea of traumatic. I guess I just have a problem with the wording. Is asking someone out a sexual advance in regards to this poll or is it strictly defined to behavior like a sexual proposition? Clearly the later could be traumatic if it occured once, even more so if it happened repeatedly.

David

[catrose]

13. Who gets to decide if it's unwanted?

When I think about the men who think they have a right to kill (or at least cause a huge fuss) if they think a guy is hitting on them, but yet they have no problem hitting on every woman they see...I don't know how to finish this sentence with civility.

The reasons I hear for women joining the military are mostly things like need money, can't get another job, earning college and other benefits, getting away from a bad situation, and, yes, even patriotism. "A great place to meet guys" hasn't come to my ears, though of course it may exist. So when you're trying to do your job in god awful conditions and not get killed or maimed by people labeled the enemy, it must be traumatic to find yourself pursued or stalked by those you thought were on your side, particularly if any of these stalkers rank higher than you do.

It made me nauseous to read about Lyndie England bearing her immediate superior's child, never mind all the other implications of Abu Ghraib.

If you haven't read the Melissa threads in Doonesbury, I recommend them. I think Trudeau made a good decision not to go with the more horrific scenarios, like the KBR employee who was raped and imprisoned in a storage container (and has no recourse).

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

29. The recipient.

[Skarbrowe]

2. This subject never seems to draw much attention here.

I remember starting a topic on this subject ( one of the maybe three I've started over the years) about how many female soldiers were being raped in Iraq by their fellow male soldiers and having it simply swept away with intimidation and/or worse. I didn't get any response, which is OK. Maybe it's too difficult to discuss. We know it happens (I've been there, somewhat) and I suppose it's something some people expect to happen when you mix females into the mix with males who have been trained to kick ass, kill and expect to die any second. I really don't know.

And believe me, many female soldiers don't even bother to report it when they are raped. That 15% number is probably a bit low.

[4lbs]

3. There was a recent reporting piece on this I saw that dealt with female soldiers in Iraq.

It said that the females often carry a gun and knife with them EVERYWHERE, even to the bathroom because they can be attacked by their male counterparts any time.

It also said that some of the more aggressive males are actually felons/ex-cons/accused of sexual and other violent crimes. The military was so desperate for enlistees a few years ago, that they took anyone who applied and seemed physically healthy, even the mentally imbalanced and heavily misogynistic ones.

Thus, you have in essence, some male sexual predators, being trained by the military to shoot and peform hand-to-hand combat and submission holds, being placed in close proximity to female soldiers.


Read more:


http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2007/03/07/women_in_military/print.html

[Skarbrowe]

6. Oh, I agree that the problem has probably sky-rocketed since

these less than desirable recruits have been pulled into the military. Unfortunately, my only post on this subject was a few years ago when we were supposedly only sending over the cream of the military crop. This stuff happens at West Point, the Air Force Academy and the Navel Academy at Annapolis. I mean it can happen with their graduates. Eh, sorry. Your right, though. Even when I was in the military years ago, I remember men and women who had been arrested given the chance to go to jail or join the Army. Shortly after I enlisted, I felt I had volunteered to go to jail. :)

[Festivito]

8. I, for one, don't know what to say. Could be outrage fatigue.

Should I be more outraged at a war that kills, or a war that rapes knowing I cannot do anything, yet, about either. Should I concentrate on shoving Pelosi to impeach, outing the media, educating the populous, ... I just don't have time to think it all through. I'll work on ending Republican control, on ending the war. I hope this trauma problem will slow after that.

It's easier to put it in mind, then move on to the next news post.

But, I beg you, please, do not stop putting it in front of our noses.

I'll try to remember to recommend.

[whathehell]

18. I notice there's no "outrage fatigue" when it comes to attacking female

repugs like Ashley Todd, who, though she did recant her awful lie, seem to engender a kind of pent-up mysogyny (these are "bad girls" that can justifiably be shat on, so the reasoning seems to go)

They're called the B-word (and worse) repeatedly and with relish!..and pointing out that these "bad girls" actions ARE unrelated to their gender and will only engender vicious insults toward YOU, for, in their view, "defending 'The Bitch'!".

But "outrage" for females raped, beaten and murdered by male "comrades in arms"...Ahhh..not so much.

[Festivito]

21. So, what can we do? Sure you'll be satisfied just with responses?

If you want action, what action.

I'd like to see our military changed, but will we be able without destroying political chances and then revert to the worse Republican control? Can we educate the public about the military change needed. Can we do that with a rotten to the core media? Should we fix the media first?

It's easy to pick the title of a post and run, but harder to ferret through the meaning in the rest of the post and then propose some course.

[whathehell]

22. What could you "do" about the Ashley Todd incident...Not much but

it didn't stop people here from virulently "expressing" themselves.

As to the abuse of military women, What can you do? Oh, I don't know -- Care, maybe?

[whathehell]

24. I'm not "satisfied" with a "response" only...But hey!...It would be a start, wouldn't it?

[whathehell]

26. Actualy, there IS something you can do...You can locate your State's

Director of the Department of Veterans Affairs and tell them of your "concern".

The Director in my state of Illinois is a woman, Tammy Duckworth.

[heliarc]

16. There's a lot of latent misogyny on DU...

IMHO... You see it with stories about celebrities, about court cases involving women, or about workers in the sex industry. Far too many respondents lead with very aggressive sexually charged remarks almost reflexively. It's very disappointing I have to say. Pathetic even.

[whathehell]

20. Thanks for confirming that, heliarc...It's not often you get that support from males here.

[BlueIris]

33. Latent?

Nothing latent about it.

[kwassa]

36. Blatant!

[heliarc]

37. Well let's just say...

that I think a lot of the culprits are in denial about it, and might even count themselves feminists.

[whathehell]

23. Nope...But they care a LOT when some "bitch" does something they don't like.

You can probably see the connection.

[ensho]

25. agree, I've posted too and got not much attention

women seem to reply. few men reply.


maybe DU men can tell us why this subject is not of interest to them?

[EFerrari]

7. We can never say we didn't know. n/t

[Solly Mack]

9. K&R

[pamorlan]

10. Thanks

Many thanks for posting this story. It gives all of us a chance to make a difference. I don't have enough posts at DU to recommend your thread so I hope everyone who does will do so.

Until more leaders in our military take an active role in cracking down on this insidious problem the rest of us MUST talk about this subject to keep it in the public eye. By doing so we can help send a message to the military that we will not tolerate these crimes against our military women and that we demand immediate action on the part of the brass to eliminate this problem. We must speak out and make it uncomforable for them to continue to ignore this problem.

[unhappycamper]

11. I know about 1/2 dozen women veterans.

Half of them have been raped while serving on active duty.

[peacetalksforall]

14. I honor the soldiers who have some values. Respect for women is a value.

The people of this country have to re-examine where we are and what we're going to do about it. I think we are nearly at the bottom. We don't learn, we never seem to learn, but I think we've been taken down so far, that our eyes and ears are working better.

I can't see how any guy can do this and not also think about and worry about their mother, sister, daughter, niece. About someone doing something to them.

No country should do what we're doing to these kids and the people of all the different countries that we're affecting.

Imagine - it's the 21st Century and we are committing all these crimes against humanity.

We are not hopeless, but we need to do something.

[boobooday]

19. Speaking from personal experience -- filing a sexual assault charge with military police

The processes for dealing with these incidences can be as traumatic as the crime itself.

[KitSileya]

27. For some reason I see this a symptomatic of how diseased the US is on a whole

The uncritical support of the troops that so many, many Americans exhibit makes it difficult to clean up the armed forces with regards to the misogyny, lawlessness, and insularity so many members of the armed forces have towards crimes against female service members. The troops are near deified by the USA, they can do no wrong, so any such crimes as rape and sexual assault cannot have been done by the gallant troops, and to accuse them of such crimes is an attack on the fine men and women who are willing to lay their lives down for the freedom of American citizens Disregarding the huge numbers reported, and the even huger numbers that go unreported, of such crimes, as well as the crimes they commit every day towards the people of Iraq, for instance, which don't count, as they're not done to an American. So of course rape, sexual assaults, fragging of gays, etc will continue. There's no leadership structure that is willing to take responsibility for trying to eradicate it, in the main part because they don't see it as wrong.


Case in point - I'm sure this post will elicit many a claim that I shouldn't smear all troops like that, there's many ordinary soldiers and sailors, marines and airmen that are horrified by these crimes, or they know a soldier and he would never do something like this.

[TrogL]

28. Oh what a nice sounding euphanism for sexual harassment and/or rape

[woo me with science]

34. Warning: Many PTSD therapists are also recovered memory therapists.

I have been warning about this danger in the treatment of PTSD. Yes, some of these women probably did experience unwanted sexual advances, and the military needs to take strong action to prevent such behavior. However, people don't realize how many therapists specializing in PTSD gained their "expertise" in this field by working with sexual abuse cases and RECOVERED MEMORIES. The repressed childhood memory folks are now advertising themselves as specialists in trauma and are eagerly taking on PTSD trauma cases. I did a quick search online, and it did not take me long to find multiple articles talking about "repression" and even a recommended training program for helping veterans access "repressed" trauma:

http://www.healing-arts.org/tir/starnes.htm

This stuff is garbage, and these therapists are dangerous, yet they are out there representing themselves as specialists in trauma. They are still using visualization and other questionable techniques to get clients to "recover" memories of trauma that may or may not be true, and it is OF COURSE second nature for them to get their female clients to look for sexual trauma. This therapy is all based on expectation, and it CREATES traumatic memories.

People do not realize to what extent the trauma/PTSD field is infested with these repressed memory charlatans. It is a real danger to our returning troops. We need to clean up the trauma field of these people, before we create another class of victims.

We need mental health parity and treatment for PTSD, but we also need to insist on EVIDENCE-BASED care. The mythology in this area of psychology is malignant and devastating.