Military Sexual Harassment Definition

The United States Armed Forces is known for its agility and strength with the enabling ability to fight and win wars; however, our force is facing its own internal battle that seems to be diminishing its force, manpower, and morale. The invisible war as it is called in the media, documentaries, and books displayed the most shameful and well-kept secret within the military expanding back into the 1960’s. In recent years, this battle has drawn the attention of media due to the unprofessional and heinous act of its service members. This act consists of sexual assault and harassment, which is undermining the image and characteristics of a well-structured organization. This volunteer-based force is a complex combination of men and women from all

According to Turchik and Wilson (2010), they state evidence by the fact that approximately 18% to 25% of American women report experiencing either an attempted or completed rape in their lifetimes. Also, stating that between 9.5% to 33% of women and 1% to 12% in men reported similar traumatic experiencing while serving in the military. Sexual assault is a crime that can happen to anyone, anywhere, at any time and seem to be prevalent in the military. Sexual assault is define as the uses of force (verbal or physical threat) forcing another person to have sexual contact of any kind. Not all sexual assault or rape involves force; it is the threatening of a person or purposely getting a person drunk that he or she cannot consent. “Military sexual trauma, which encompasses everything from sexual harassment to rape, is now the leading cause of post-traumatic stress disorder among women in the U.S. military” (Schenck 2014, p. 581). At least one service member during their military service is exposed to military sexual trauma resulting in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) (Schnurr el at, 2007). According to the Department of Defense, its strategy and goals are to eliminate sexual harassment and sexual assault amongst its forces. By examining the Army Sexual Harassment and Assault Response Prevention (SHARP) program, this paper will explore the following: campaign phase, under reporting,

After World War II, these acts of military sexual violence dissatisfying both the military and criminal justice system that demanded more rights and express their views and lack of faith in the present system. Between the 1960’s and 1970’s, a number of forces emerged that championed victims’ rights such as the Law and Order Movement. It focused the notion that victims should at least have equivalent rights to those of offenders and that criminals should be held accountable in a meaningful way (Turchik and Wilson,