Violence Against Women in the Military

1. Violence Against Women in the Military Martin Donohoe

2. Outline • Definitions • History • Data • Characteristics of abuse victims/perpetrators • Consequences of abuse (including PTSD) • Recent developments (DOD Review, Iraq/Afghanistan, available programs) • Advice for female armed services members • Reducing VAW in the military

3. Violence Against Women • Direct: physical, sexual, emotional • Global health burden comparable to that of HIV, tuberculosis, and cardiovascular disease • Institutional: social, legal, educational, and political marginalization

4. Rape as a War Crime • Common (comfort women of WW II Japan, Sudan, Rwanda, Bosnia, etc.) • Notions of war/militarism and excessive “masculinity” • > 300 rapes of Japanese citizens committed by U.S. personnel since 1945 • Adverse effects on military agreements, support for U.S. troops

5. Women in the U.S. Military More than 210,000 women are on active US military duty 1.8 million female veterans (out of 23 million total veterans) Almost 60,000 female troops have been deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan 1 in 7 US military personnel in Iraq is female

6. Victims Active duty troops Army > Marines > Navy > Air Force Female, civilian spouses of active duty personnel

7. Recent History • Tailhook Convention (1991) • Aberdeen Proving Grounds sexual assaults (1996) • Homicides, suicides among returning vets

8. Violence and Homicides • 1997-2001: >10,000 cases of spouse abuse per year occurred in the armed forces • 14 homicides • Likely a large underestimate (e.g., girlfriends not counted, under-reporting) • 1995-2004: 218 domestic murders in the US military

9. Violence • 2007-2010: 18% increase in alleged sexual assaults committed by U.S. service members • Pentagon acknowledges 80% of rapes never reported • Child maltreatment more common during deployments • Suggests victims becoming perpetrators

10. Violence and Sexual Assault Among Active Duty Soldiers and Veterans • Multiple studies with widely varying percentages – see long version of this slide show at phsj.org • Active duty military: • Abuse rates 20%-35% • Sexual assault rates 17% to 33%

11. Violence and Sexual Assault Among Active Duty Soldiers and Veterans • Female veterans: • Abuse rates 24%-70% • Sexual assault rates 20%-42% • Veterans reporting history of sexual harassment: 90% < 50 yo; 35% > 50 yo

12. Female Perpetrators • Female on male violence more common in military than among civilians • Moderate aggression: 13% vs. 10% • Severe aggression: 4.4% vs. 2% • LGBT violence under-reported • Lack of provider awareness • Don’t ask / don’t tell • One study found higher percentages of aggression among female ADM than among male ADM

13. Common Characteristics ofAbuse Victims low self-esteem guilt self-blame denial traditional attitudes regarding women’s roles have children poor financial resources few job skills less education few friends history of childhood abuse

14. Common Characteristicsof Abusers low self-esteem dependency jealousy poor communication skills unemployed/underemployed

15. Common Characteristicsof Abusers abuse alcohol/other drugs have witnessed or experienced abuse as children if immigrants, are more likely to have been victims of political violence abuse their own children

16. Military families face unique stressors, which increase the risk for family violence • Relocations • Long work tours • Frequent family separations • Dangerous work assignments

17. Combat stress and PTSD increase likelihood of males perpetrating abuse • Veterans with combat exposure and PTSD have more marital problems • 1/3 of male veterans with PTSD engage in partner violence • Rate 2-3X higher than that for non-PTSD veterans and non-PTSD civilians

18. Victims More Likely to Report • Chronic health problems (esp. gyn) • Lower health-related quality of life • Prescription medication use for emotional problems • Failure to complete college • Annual income < $25,000 • Depression (3X higher rate) • Alcohol abuse (2X higher rate)

19. Victims • History of childhood violence and post-military violence more common • High levels of secondary victimization • Feelings of guilt • Depression • Anxiety • Distrust of others • Reluctance to seek further help

20. PTSD • Risk of PTSD after sexual assault similar in both female and male veterans to that seen following high levels of combat exposure • Female veterans who had suffered sexual assault while in the military 9X more likely to have PTSD

21. PTSD Patients • Males: 6.5% of combat veterans and 16.5% of non-combat veterans reported in-service or post-service sexual assault • Females: 69% of combat veterans and 87% of non-combat veterans reported in-service or post-service sexual assault • Combat and sexual assault are the 2 most potent predictors of PTSD

22. Under-reporting by victims and spouses • Concern about husbands’ prospects for continued service and promotion • Perceived/real lack of confidentiality and privacy • Limited victim services

23. Under-reporting by victims and spouses • Fear of retaliation and damage to their careers or being portrayed as disloyal • Those who do report are often punished, intimidated, or ostracized • Perpetrators of the most vicious crimes often transferred to another base or offered marriage counseling and anger management classes in lieu of more severe punishment

24. Under-reporting by victims and spouses • 48 % of female active duty military think abuse should be reported to commanding officer • 73% of female ADM (vs. 43% of female civilians) think mandatory reporting increases women’s risk of further abuse • 82% of ADM think routine screening makes women less likely to disclose abuse to a health care provider

25. Prosecution and Punishment Rare, Promotion not Uncommon for Perpetrators • Since 1992, nearly 5000 accused sex offenders in the Army, including rapists, have avoided prosecution and the possibility of prison time • 1988-1993: 80% of abusers who left the military received honorable discharges • Of those who remained in the military, 54% were promoted (compared with 65% of the overall military population)

26. Iraq and Afghanistan • 1/7 female veterans of these conflicts seeking medical care at the VA had suffered sexual trauma (2008 study) • A deployed female soldier is more likely to be raped by a fellow soldier than killed by enemy fire

27. Iraq and Afghanistan • Many victims did not receive basic medical care: • emergency contraception • rape evidence kits • testing for sexually transmitted infections • prophylactic treatment or testing for HIV • rape crisis counseling

28. Iraq and Afghanistan • Prosecution of crimes often delayed indefinitely • Many servicewomen continued to serve in the same unit with their assailants

29. Iraq • Disturbing reports of sexual abuse and humiliation at the Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo military prisons • Five American soldiers allegedly raped and murdered a young Iraqi woman, burned her body, and killed three members of her family in their home

30. Recent Developments • 1999: VA mandates that all veterans (male and female) be screened for military sexual trauma • Compliance still low • DOD Policy Review notes major problems • 2005: Congress establishes Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office within the Defense Department • 2008 – director ordered by DOD superiors not to testify before Congress re problems with office

31. Recent Developments • DOD requires health care provider training on domestic violence • Domestic violence advocates program and family support programs in place • Utilization still low • Civilian perpetrators barred from bases • Military police to work with local law enforcement

32. Victim Assistance U.S. Army’s transitional compensation program provides financial and other benefits to the families of service members discharged for child or spouse maltreatment, including victim assistance and offender rehabilitation

33. Victim Assistance VA provides lifetime sexual assault victims’ counseling to all military veterans After one leaves the service Most counseled patients are males, who suffer lower rates of sexual assault but make up a large majority of veterans

34. Recent Developments • Military Domestic Violence and Sexual Response Act • Would reduce sexual assault and domestic violence involving members of the Armed Forces and their family members and partners through enhanced programs of prevention and deterrence, enhanced programs of victims services, and strengthened provisions for prosecution of assailants • In House and Senate subcommittees since mid 2009

35. Advice for Female Armed Services Members • Women on the front lines, who risk capture and being held as a prisoner of war (which puts them at even higher risk for sexual assault), should strongly consider commencing birth control pre-deployment with an intrauterine device or implant

36. Advice for Female Armed Services Members • Victims should report abuse and consider contacting local domestic violence organizations or the Miles Foundation, a Connecticut-based advocacy group for military victims of domestic violence (telephone: 203-270-7861; Web page: http://hometown.aol.com/milesfdn/myhomepage/

37. Reducing Violence Against Women in the Military • Change in the sexist ideologies and practices long associated with militarism and war • Improvements in victim services, including enhanced confidentiality • Appointment of a central authority within the DOD to investigate and prosecute violent crimes • Enhanced curricular offerings to teach trainees and practicing clinicians how to recognize and manage the sequelae of domestic violence

38. Reducing Violence Against Women in the Military • Increased funding of domestic violence shelters • Laws to decrease the easy availability of firearms • More funding for research, treatment, and prevention • Changes in law and policy to protect victims and to improve the status of women

39. International Vehicles to Decrease Violence Against Women • Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW): Calls for equality of the sexes in political, social, cultural, civil, and other fields

40. International Vehicles to Decrease Violence Against Women • UN Security Council Resolution 1325: Mandates protection of, and respect for, human rights of women and girls and calls on all parties to armed conflict to take specific measures to protect women and girls from gender-based violence, particularly rape and sexual violence

41. International Vehicles to Decrease Violence Against Women • International Criminal Court (ICC), established in 2002: Codifies accountability for gender-based crimes against women during military conflict by defining sexual and gender violence of all kinds as war crimes

42. International Vehicles to Decrease Violence Against Women • U.S. has not ratified CEDAW, signed UNSCR 1325, nor signed on to the ICC • U.S. should show its commitment to improving women's rights worldwide by taking action on these items • The women and men who risk their lives in service to the ideals for which the United States ideally stands deserve no less.

43. Contact Information, Slide Shows, References, etc. Public Health and Social Justice Website http://www.publichealthandsocialjustice.org http://www.phsj.org martindonohoe@phsj.org