Friday, April 18, 2008

Defense Department program combats sexual assault

Sexual assault is one of the most underreported violent crimes in America.
To better combat sexual assault, the Department of Defense implemented the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program, which incorporates a comprehensive policy to reinforce a culture of prevention, response and accountability.
The goal of the program is to ensure the safety, dignity, and well-being of all members of the armed forces through training, education, treatment, and support of victims. The addition of reporting options in 2005 has helped victims of sexual assault access care.
The restricted reporting option enables victims to come forward without triggering the investigative process. This option helps victims get the care they need and deserve confidentially. The unrestricted reporting option allows victims to get care and participate in the criminal justice system, as well.
These options, coupled with improved awareness of sexual assault created by service specific training, has encouraged more victims to come forward and get help.
Prevention and response resources
Giving first-class care to a victim of sexual assault anywhere in the world lies at the heart of the program.
Each installation or unit is assigned sexual assault response coordinators and victim advocates who respond to assaults, ensuring the appropriate level of care is provided to each victim. Healthcare providers, chaplains, law enforcement officers, criminal investigators, and judge advocates also play significant roles in response.
Sexual assault response coordinators
SARCs manage and serve as the single point of contact to coordinate victim care and track the services provided to the victim in each reported assault.
Victim advocates
While the SARC primarily provides management and oversight of victim services, VAs provide around-the-clock, direct assistance to victims seeking help. VAs are not counselors, therapists, or investigators. However, they can provide accurate and comprehensive information about available options and resources. They educate victims so they can make informed decisions about their care and involvement in the investigative process and help them navigate the military’s response network.
Other resources
Healthcare providers play an important role in treating sexual assault victims, both physically and psychologically. Physicians, physician assistants, and nurses all contribute to treating injuries, managing risk for sexually transmitted infections, and, sometimes, gathering evidence during a sexual assault forensic examination.
Psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers and other professionals that address mental health also play a part in victim care. Both male and female victims of sexual assault are at increased risk for developing serious psychological problems. A victim can choose to have a restricted report and discuss his or her assault with a provider without command being notified.
Chaplains provide spiritual support to victims of sexual assault and offer complete confidentiality when providing spiritual counseling. Active-duty servicemembers can discuss their situation with a chaplain and have no fear what they say will be reported to anyone. Chaplains work closely with SARCs and VAs to ensure that victims get the information and services they need.
Law enforcement officers, criminal investigators, and judge advocates also support victims by ensuring accountability of perpetrators. Prevention efforts count for very little if perpetrators are not held accountable for their behavior. When a victim makes an unrestricted report, these professionals take statements from the victim and witnesses, document the crime scene, facilitate a forensic examination, and send the evidence to the crime lab for evaluation.
Each of the military services have specially trained professionals waiting to assist.
For more information about services for sexual assault victims, contact Fort Belvoir’s victim advocate and sexual assault response coordinator at 703-805-2631 during duty hours or 703-919-0986 after 4:30 p.m. or on weekends and holidays.
(Stories adapted with permission from Sexual Assault Resources and Education Office, College of William and Mary.)

Decision-making scenarios outline rules for consent
Jim was your typical first-term, servicemember. After three years on active duty, he was used to the idea of being out on his own, deploying to support his service, and making the most of his off-duty time.
One Friday night, Jim was invited to a party. While there, he met up with Jane, a co-worker whom he found interesting.
At the party, Jim and Jane consumed quite a bit of alcohol and talked a lot. It was pretty clear both of them were attracted to each other. Jim and Jane’s conversation turned intimate. They found a secluded place at the party and started to kiss. Jane told Jim she was okay with “hooking up,” but Jim noticed that Jane appeared very intoxicated.
As they continued to kiss and touch each other, Jane became less and less responsive. Soon it was clear to Jim that Jane was pretty out of it. However, Jane had told him she was “okay” with “hooking up.” Jim was pretty worked up at this point, but knew he wasn’t thinking clearly due to a combination of alcohol and hormones.

Given the situation, what should Jim do?

•Continue making out with Jane and let things proceed to sex?

•Continue making out with Jane, but don’t go any farther than that?

•Stop all intimate contact with Jane until she and he sober up?

•Get a friend to help Jim get Jane home safely?

While there are a number of things that might concern you about this story, this article is offered to help clarify the meaning of consent in terms of sexual assault. Most people understand that a sexual assault occurs when one person forces another person to have sex.
However, Jim and Jane appeared to be mutually involved with each other, at least initially. There was no physical force involved at all. However, under military law, force may not be necessary when alcohol is involved because a person who is incapacitated cannot consent. In other words, Jim is unsure as to whether Jane is too drunk to consent. The best course of action is for Jim to stop all intimate contact and wait until Jane is sober.
Another fact to consider is what Jim and Jane mutually agreed to do together. The story indicates that they both agreed to “hooking up.” If both were asked what that term meant exactly, they might come up with different meanings.
For instance, Jane might have said that hooking up is kissing and touching on top of the clothes. Jim’s definition of hooking up might include kissing, touching both above and under the clothes, and even some kind of sexual intercourse.
If Jim presses on with what he thinks is okay with a “hook up,” and Jane either disagrees or isn’t sober enough to get a chance to disagree with what Jim wants to do, then Jim may be sexually assaulting Jane. 
Again, because they have not talked about the meaning of “hooking up” and could have very different definitions of what that means, the safest thing for Jim to do is to stop all intimate activity with Jane. If Jim were to press on with sexual activity, he could be liable for criminal punishment under military law.
As a servicemember and a gentleman, Jim should not leave Jane in a secluded place at a party because it might put her in jeopardy of being sexually assaulted by someone else.  In fact, Jim should see if someone is available to get them both home safely.
Each of us might have opinions about what should or should not have happened in this story. However, having sex with someone who cannot consent is a crime.
If you see someone about to make a bad decision, step in and say something. If you’re not sure you can handle the situation by yourself, get help. Your intervention could keep others from making mistakes with very serious
consequences.