"My experience reporting military sexual assault was worse than the actual assault," says Jessica (a pseudonym for her protection), a former marine officer and Iraq veteran who left the military because of her command's poor handling of her assault charges. "The command has so much power over a victim of sexual assault. They are your judge, jury, executioner and mayor: they own the law. As I saw in my case, they are able to crush you for reporting an assault."
Jessica is joining a civil lawsuit bringing claims against former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and former Defense Secretary Robert Gates, charging that under their watch the military failed to adequately and effectively investigate rapes and sexual assaults within the ranks.
The litigation, which was filed in Virginia district court in February of this year by the law office of Susan Burke, is set to go to trial in the coming months. The initial suit named 16 plaintiffs, all former or current military service members - but in recent months that number has swelled to more than 30, as more and more veterans come forward as survivors of sexual assault.
These plaintiffs join the growing crescendo of veterans, military service members, spouses and their advocates speaking out against the problem of widespread sexual assault and rape in the US military. Full story...
Don't miss:
Jessica is joining a civil lawsuit bringing claims against former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and former Defense Secretary Robert Gates, charging that under their watch the military failed to adequately and effectively investigate rapes and sexual assaults within the ranks.
The litigation, which was filed in Virginia district court in February of this year by the law office of Susan Burke, is set to go to trial in the coming months. The initial suit named 16 plaintiffs, all former or current military service members - but in recent months that number has swelled to more than 30, as more and more veterans come forward as survivors of sexual assault.
These plaintiffs join the growing crescendo of veterans, military service members, spouses and their advocates speaking out against the problem of widespread sexual assault and rape in the US military. Full story...
Don't miss:
- US soldier talks about her rape by fellow-soldiers in Iraq...
- Sexual abuse in the US army 'staggering'
- "Rape in the Ranks (of the US army): The Enemy Within"
- Who is responsible for the murder of Private LaVena Johnson?
- Female soldiers more likely to be raped by fellow-soldiers than killed in action...
Rape in the military services has been going on for over 40 years. Most of these women were afraid to report for fear of being labeled. When the military doctors offered a shot to abort the child and the woman refused she was kicked out of the military with a medical honorable out but then she was forgotten. The men who did the crimes were able to go on and finish their time in the service with atta boys on their records. I know this because I was one of those women.
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