(Page 3 of 4)
Not surprisingly, a system that denies sexual assault victims basic medical and emotional care does worse when it comes to investigating claims and bringing rapists to justice. There is a lack of trained military victim advocates to help argue cases in courts of martial law. In addition, the facilities that are used to test DNA and process forensic evidence are outdated and insuffi cient. The backlog in the processing of evidence prolongs investigations for months or even years.
Politics and the need to maintain a positive public image drive military leaders to cover up sexual assault allegations and impede investigations. In the cases of the women who died of dehydration, Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez ordered that their causes of death be left out of the surgeon’s report. In 2006, Col. Janis Karpinski, who served under Sanchez, testifi ed before a panel of judges of the Crimes Against Humanity Committee that he had directed the surgeon to not say that the deceased had died of dehydration or were even women. Ostensibly, this order was given to “protect the women’s privacy rights.” Karpinski thinks it likely that when information about these women was passed to the Pentagon, Donald Rumsfeld himself may have ordered that the details not be released. “That’s how Rumsfeld works,” she said.
Since 2004, military offi cials and spokespersons have been adamant in fighting abuse of female soldiers. Admiral Michael McMullen says, “The Department of Defense announced a new policy on sexual assault along with its 2004 report, which was implemented on January 3, 2005. The policy provided for the establishment of a health care team to conduct and process sexual assault examinations, increased awareness training for service members, and the formation of a sexual assault advisory council. [Sexual assault] is corrosive to good order and discipline… it is a crime, and it is unacceptable.”
The military’s professed dedication to addressing sexual assault, however, has not resulted in defi nitive action. Critics claim that most of the report’s recommendations are non-committal using vague phrases like “allocate time on the agenda” and “develop strategic courses of action.” “These recommendations do not constitute a plan of action,” says Kate Summers of the Miles Foundation. Advocates for female soldiers demand more concrete changes like making rape kits available in all military bases, restructuring the chain of command to ensure victims’ privacy, and removing accused attackers from victims’ work areas as soon as a claim is fi led. Also, there is an urgent need to establish an offi cial definition of sexual assault for use in fi ling claims and charging assailants.