June 24, 2004
Women Vets Speak Out Against Rape in the Military
by Phoebe Jones
Global Women's Strike
Survivors of sexual assault by the military, and supporters, go to "the Summit" to demand an end to the crime of rape and for benefits and services for survivors
There was an outpouring of frustration and anger by women survivors of military rape, and their supporters who attended The National Summit of Women Veterans Issues. They complained about the Department of Defense (DOD) refusal to act to stop rape, and the difficulty many survivors have in getting benefits and services from the Veterans Administration. Sexual assault of US servicewomen and men is widespread ˆ some estimates are as high as 43-50% among some sectors. Among active duty soldiers, 78% of women have experienced sexual harassment. At the same time, some of these women survivors of rape have been fighting for 20 years to get benefits and services owed to them, calling this deprivation a second and third rape. Many women veteran survivors have experienced homelessness, one of the workshop topics, as a result of their trauma and lack of benefits.
Survivors Take Action Against Abuse by Military Personnel (STAAAMP) and the Global Women's Strike, along with Women Organizing Women, coordinated an initiative called STAAAMP Out Rape by the Military which began with a press conference on Thursday of survivors and supporters (see below) and ended with participation at the National Summit. They called above all for the truth to emerge about the rapes of US servicewomen, men, and children globally, and Iraqi women detainees by the military, as well as the rapes of women inmates in US prisons, and for an independent body outside the DOD to investigate and prosecute all military rapes and sexual assaults. Rev. Dorothy Mackey, a former Air Force captain and commander, a survivor of multiple rape and sexual assault while serving in the military, and founder and executive director of STAAAMP, said that over 4300 women, men and children have contacted her about their sexual assault by military men, from World War II to the Iraqi War. Some of those women attended the Summit with STAAAMP Out Rape, while others came forward for the first time at the Summit.
At a packed workshop on Mental Health and Sexual Trauma, Phoebe Jones - from the Crossroads Women's Center where the Strike in Philadelphia is based - raised the problems women veterans who have contacted the Center have: that nothing happens to the rapist; it is the victim who gets punished especially if they complain - women are told to put up and shut up for the greater good. The problem, they said, goes all the way to the top of the chain of command. To add insult to injury, it is very hard to get benefits needed to rebuild your life and confidence.
There was an explosion of support and agreement from women who have clearly had enough when Ms Jones relayed what a US marine and himself a military sexual abuse survivor said at the press conference, that soldiers are trained to take what they want, whether from fellow servicewomen or Iraqi detainees, and know that they will be protected.
At a Working Group on Mental and Behavioral Health, women spelled out the changes that need to happen:
- · an oversight body independent of the DOD to investigate and prosecute the rapes;
- · accountability including prosecution from the perpetrator and command authorities to include within the DOD who are abusers or covered up abuse;
- · the immediate end to use of the McDowell checklist for rape and other criteria that has resulted in 60% false reporting rate versus an 8% rate for the general population;
- · reports of rape to be treated seriously;
- · information about survivor rights must be available to all;
- · there must be consistency of services throughout the VA;
- · service providers must be allowed the time to pursue individual cases;
- · a new protocol for dealing with rapes must happen;
- · repeated use of "clinical reminders" so that victims can report sexual assault when they are ready;
- · use of appropriate wording in services;
- · choice of woman or man health care provider;
- · creation of safe environment, including removal of perpetrator; confidentiality;
- · women victims and their children on priority list for housing;
- · advocates must be part of all aspects of the process;
- · education and training for providers; and help for those who can't speak for themselves because of the trauma.
At the Thursday press conference, STAAAMP and the Global Women's Strike demanded the truth about the rapes of women in Iraqi prisons, the rapes of (mainly female) US military personnel serving in Iraq and the rapes of women in prisons in the US ˆ noting the overlap of those responsible for prison rapes in this country then having positions of power in Iraqi prisons ˆ and for justice for all victims, women and men of whatever nationality. A multiracial group of five survivors, including one man, spoke out. Each one, regardless of whether they were a person of color or not, remarked on racial harassment within the military. Dozens of groups and individuals endorsed the action and sent statements of support. School of Americas Watch made the connection between the abuse at Abu Ghraib and other US military prisons and the history of US-sponsored torture in Central and South America. Stephen Funk, a Marine who was jailed for refusing to serve in Iraq, said, "If people in the military live strict codes of conduct and operate in such a controlled environment, why does the abuse of women still flourish? The answer is that the military does indeed encourage and foster such abuse."
Statements were also read from Payday, a multiracial network of men who have initiated the Refusing to Kill website <http://www.refusingtokill.net>; London-based Black Women's Rape Action Project and Women Against Rape, which co-authored a letter to US Congresswomen and women Members of Parliament in the UK demanding accountability for the rapes, which inspired the STAAAMP Out Rape by the Military initiative; and others.
Other problems include that many women are denied benefits on technicalities or on the claim that the trauma was not service-related. Many suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, which is often unrecognized and undiagnosed. If the precise wording requested is not used, applications are often denied. Many women have to make their case to men who are often unsympathetic. There is serious concern that some men who did nothing about rapes while in the military are now in second careers overseeing veteran services and the application process for veterans with sexual trauma seeking disability benefits. The startling fact that „rapists continue to get promoted‰ while survivors spend years attempting to recover, was noted in the March 31, 2004 US Congressional Women‚s Caucus hearing. Sexual predators are often released from the military into civilian life without sexual predator records, a recipe for the assaults to continue.
Despite desperate pleadings from STAAAMP, GWS, and many individual military rape and trauma survivors, for an outside investigative agency, and despite their knowledge that the DOD has refused to adopt any recommendations to stop sexual misconduct in the last 19 task forces investigations in 16 years, on June 17, 2004 the Congressional Women's Caucus proposed $3 million for the DOD to establish a Victim‚s Office of Assistance and maintain control of abuse cases. This was shown to be entirely unacceptable to the victims themselves this weekend. To whom is the Congressional Women's Caucus accountable, the DOD which has protected rapists, or women who have been raped while serving in the military?
Contact: Phoebe Jones, Global Women's Strike 215-848-1120 <mailto:philly@crossroadswomen.net>