Figures about Rape and Women in the Military

[Nikki Stone1]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1995/05/12/MN63836.DTL

(05-12) 04:00 PST Chicago -- Ninety percent of women under 50 who have served in the U.S. military and who responded to a survey report being victims of sexual harassment, and nearly one- third of the respondents of all ages say they have been raped. The incidence of violent assaults among female veterans, the vast majority of whom reported at least one ``severe assault,'' is much higher than in the general population and raises questions about the treatment of women currently on active duty and the 1.2 million veterans, researchers said.

The abuse may be responsible for an increased risk among female veterans of depression, anxiety and hospital treatment, Maureen Murdoch and Kristin Nichol of the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center wrote in the Archives of Family Medicine, published yesterday by the American Medical Association....


http://www.care2.com/causes/womens-rights/blog/war-among-comrades-1-in-3-women-raped-in-the-military/

As one woman solider observed, "There are only three things the guys let you be if you're a girl in the military - a bitch, a ho, or a dyke."

Or – as it turns out – their prey.

A new study, Factors Associated with Women's Risk of Rape in the Military Environment, reveals that 1 in 3 women are raped in the military. That means that simply by joining the military a woman automatically increases her chances of being raped.

And that's not all. Researchers found that 37% of attempted raped and raped women also reported being raped more than once and 14% of them reported being gang raped....

http://www.veteransforpeace.org/Military_rape_awareness_week_2009.vp.html

A 2004 study of women veterans from Vietnam and all wars since, who were seeking help for post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), found that 71% said they were sexually assaulted or raped while serving.

The VA study (referenced in the title above) was funded by the Army Medical Research Department and found that 30% of women veterans said they were raped while serving. That is almost one in three.

Thirty seven percent of the attempted raped and raped women in the VA study also reported being raped more than once and 14% of them reported being gang raped. This study also discovered that 75% of raped women in the military failed to report it.

Although this is an epidemic, it is not being treated as one....

[emulatorloo]

1. that is appalling. Thank you for these links n/t

[Nikki Stone1]

4. You're welcome. Someone had wondered why women shouldn't be drafted and I think this makes a good

case.

[Nikki Stone1]

2. Most of the links have the same info. I have been going through them.

>

[BlueIris]

3. Insane. And much higher than the last estimates I read about in '06. nt

[Justitia]

5. I wonder about the causes. We've heard about this for some time & I always wonder "why???" -eom

[Warpy]

6. And some stupid men want us to be drafted

into this horror show. They must be wannabe rapists who want to widen the selection of victims or just stunningly ignorant.

Yes, this makes me angry. The "boys will be boys" attitude of the military is infuriating.

I wonder if they'd have been so tolerant of lynching when black troops were brought into the service in large numbers in WWII.

[Nikki Stone1]

7. The other option, of course, is all female brigades, who do everything but combat.

That may seem discriminatory, but it might actually work.

[seabeyond]

11. a thought. nt

[Nikki Stone1]

12. I was thinking about all the electronics work done behind the scenes, all the medics,

even dropping bombs....and all this can be done by women in women-run brigades. Women who wanted to be in ground combat could, of course, opt for that voluntarily and train with male troops.

[MattBaggins]

23. Or we could work to turn this around and stop it from happening.

[NoUsername]

29. Exactly.

That's what really needs to be done. And not just in the military but in civilian life as well.

[HughMoran]

33. It needs to stop! either way

...avoiding the problem 1) won't fix it and 2) doesn't help those who are currently serving.

[left coaster]

8. The boys will be boys attitude doesn't just exist in the military..

It's tightly woven in to the very fabric of American culture, and always has been..

[Odin2005]

14. Exactly. And the fact that the folks in charge of the millitary are mostly "macho" males.

:(

[retread]

41. A "stupid" man drafted during a previous overseas "adventure" can attest that

it is indeed a horror show.

[niyad]

9. thank you for sharing this appalling (but, alas, not surprising) information. this needs to be much

more widely known.

one of the things I noticed working with the military years ago,and doubt has changed much since then, is that when a woman does report assault and rape, SHE is the one discharged, and the man skates. it happened to a number of women I knew--one of whom was even put in the brig.

[left coaster]

10. "Although this is an epidemic, it is not being treated as one.."

If this story was, not about the criminal sexual abuse of women, but about the criminal sexual abuse of people from a specific religious group, race, or sexual orientation, would it garner more of a response from our elected officials, the general population, or even folks around DU?

Of course it most certainly would.






It's 2009, America, where is your fucking conscience?

[Odin2005]

13. Horrifying.

:( :cry:

[johnaries]

15. That's just.... words fail. I can't think of any words horrible enough.

And I'm sure a lot of the problem are the commanders who don't think there's a problem. Something has to be done. And it can only start by bringing this outrage to light.

Thank you for posting this!

[AnneD]

16. double post

sorry.

[AnneD]

17. When I went into the USAR.......

That was the first thing my girlfriends cautioned me about. I had 2 ex-military gal pals and one had not 1 but 2 incidences happen to her and the other had friends that it had happened to. They read me the riot act and I will forever be grateful. I was overly cautious and I might have missed out on some experiences, but I just didn't want to take the chance.

The Army has gotten a little bit better-but they advance at a snails pace. They just haven't really dealt honestly and fairly with women yet. They try but they just are not there yet.

[NoUsername]

30. Correction.

It's not the women they need to deal with. It's the men.

Kudos to your girlfriends for warning you and kudos to you for being able to keep yourself safe.

[AnneD]

43. It is not just the men....

it is the whole culture of the military. How can you sensitize the men enough not to attack their own forces, but not so much that they will still attack the enemy. Frankly, I'm for doing away with military all together but that does not seem a possibility any time soon.

When I joined the military-I though my biggest worry was the 'enemy'. What a shock that my greatest danger lie with some of my brothers in arms.

[NoUsername]

53. Yes. Excellent point.

That's what I was kind of getting at but probably didn't make it clear.

Fully agree with you on doing away with the military but like you said, I don't see any way that will happen.

I can't imagine what that was like for you having the biggest threat to your safety being not necessarily the "enemy" but possibly the person right next to you. What a horrible way to live.

[juno jones]

18. K&R! n/t

[Shell Beau]

19. Wow! How disgusting.

What is it about the military that makes this more of a problem than it already is? Sexism? The way they are treated? I am bumfuzzled and disgusted. I knew it went on. I am surprised at HOW much it goes on though.

[Raster]

20. Very easy way to deal with this: Get convicted of rape, get your nuts cut off.

[Odin2005]

22. +1

[MattBaggins]

24. What part of a womens anatomy do we cut off?

[niyad]

25. what is "a womens anatomy"? and why are you saying anything should be cut off?

[MattBaggins]

39. Only men rape?

Or it's only heinous if a man commits rape?

I am really surprised you had to ask me why I was asking what part of a womans anatomy we cut off when they commit a crime.

[Odin2005]

40. This is the MILITARY. I would expect rape by women to be almost nonexistant.

:eyes:

[MattBaggins]

42. I would never have expected the rate of rapes to be so high either

Expectations often do not jive with reality.

[KitSileya]

44. Derailment. nt.

[niyad]

49. try reading with comprehension-and try answering the question-- what is

"a womens anatomy" (and if you don't know the answer, try a grammar book)

and don't bother putting words in my mouth because of your fear of the vagina dentata.

[MattBaggins]

51. I used plural by accident

Mommy the bad man made a typo.

I don't have a fear of women or their body parts dipshit. I was referring to the idiotic comment of cutting off body parts of men as if that would help such an abhorrent situation. Don't you think the whole "arrrggh let's cut off their nuts" screaming is a bit stupid.

Women I suppose, should receive lesser punishment then men for crimes of sexual assault. While the largest percentage of rape is by far, perpetrated by men; women do also engage in sexual assault. I just won't to know how we will write up the law for that one. If we cut off nuts what do we cut off to dismember women?

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

26. Because nobody ever gets falsely accused of rape. Oh wait the Duke Lacrosse Team, the Hofstra case.

[Raster]

31. The key word was "CONVICTED".

And correct me if wrong, but not one woman was accused of, implicated in or CONVICTED of rape.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

32. You honestly believe people haven't been falsely convicted of rape. Amazing.

Plenty of women have been convicted of rape.

[Raster]

34. I was referring to rape in the military.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

35. You don't think people have been falsely convicted of rape in the military. Again amazing.

[niyad]

36. "plenty of women"???? really??? how about some reliable stats to back up

that statements, legitimate links?

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

48. Here you go.

Teacher convicted of rape and molestation
Jury finds Susan Lemery guilty on 5 of 6 counts involving teenage boys

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/75694_lemery22.shtml


Ex-teacher convicted of raping 10-year-old student

A 33-year-old former elementary school teacher has been convicted of having sex with a 10-year-old student and his 15-year-old brother.

Jennifer L. Rice faces more than 25 years in prison after being found guilty Monday of one count each of first-degree kidnapping with sexual motivation and first-degree child molesting, and two counts of third-degree child rape.

http://www.zimbio.com/Jennifer+L.+Rice/articles/2/Ex+teacher+convicted+raping+10+year+old+student


Then there's Mary Kay Letourneu. A quick google search will reveal plenty.

David

[niyad]

50. ah, I see, so FIVE is "plenty of women", let's see, how many men have been convicted of rape?

I would say PLENTY--and it's a lot more than 5.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

52. So you believe only 5 women have been convicted of rape? Simply amazing.

Obviously men commit rape far, far more than women do. The argument was about castrating male rapists and what would be an adequate punishment for women rapists if it was okay to castrate male rapists.

[niyad]

37. and, of course, no woman who has been raped has ever been denied her day in court because of police

and prosecutors who won't do their jobs? why do you supposed that rape is the number one unreported crime?

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

46. I completely agree with you it's a huge problem.

[Odin2005]

38. Oh look, a "call the victim a liar" scuzzbucket.

:puke:

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

47. So you support castrating people convicted of rape?

[Greyhound]

21. K&R.

[niyad]

27. one prime example of this, and the mentality that allows it to continue, is the tailhook scandal.

I was actually at the convention with a friend, although I was not near the floor where the assaults occurred.

during the so-called "investigation", a number of officers said, IN PRINT, that they would refuse to cooperate with any investigation, a fact which should have resulted in immediate court-martial. as for "punishment"-- several pilots were tranferred to the admiral's staff, boo-hoo. the woman who first came forward resigned.

this is part of one of the reports:

http://www.greatdreams.com/tailhook.htm

[Name removed]

28. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[BlueJazz]

45. Man oh Man....My blood boils with Rage..Hot Purple Rage.

How dare these sub-animals desecrate and devour the very people dying for this country.

:mad: :mad: :mad: