Military sexual trauma

Military Sexual Trauma (MST) is the term that the Department of Veterans Affairs uses to refer to sexual assault or repeated, threatening sexual harassment that occurred while the Veteran was in the military. It includes any sexual activity where someone is involved against her or his will – she or he may have been pressured into sexual activities (for example, with threats of negative consequences for refusing to be sexually cooperative or with implied faster promotions or better treatment in exchange for sex), may have been unable to consent to sexual activities (for example, when intoxicated), or may have been physically forced into sexual activities. Other experiences that fall into the category of MST include unwanted sexual touching or grabbing; threatening, offensive remarks about a person’s body or sexual activities; and/or threatening or unwelcome sexual advances.^[1] The Veteran Health Administration (VHA) has implemented mandatory screening for MST among all Veterans enrolled in the VHA and reported rates of MST are approximately 22% among female Veterans and 1.2% among male Veterans.^[2] Reported rates among U.S. Veterans returning from the recent wars in Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom, OEF) and Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom, OIF) were found to be 15.1% among female Veterans and 0.7% among male Veterans who received services from the VHA.^[3] For a review of military sexual assault and efforts to address sexual violence within the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs see Turchik & Wilson (2010)^[4]

Department of Veterans Affairs

The Department of Veterans Affairs of the U.S. military has a program to assist victims of military sexual trauma.^[5]

Department of Defense Response

In 2005 the Department of Defense formed the Sexual Assault and Prevention Response Office. SAPRO is responsible for the oversight of Department of Defense (DoD) sexual assault policy. The Department of Defense is committed to the prevention of sexual assault. The Department has implemented a comprehensive policy to ensure the safety, dignity and well being of all members of the Armed Forces. The department release an annual report to the United States Congress on the numbers of reported sexual assault in the four military branches and the military academies.^[6]

Command rape

Since the beginning of the Iraq War, the term "command rape" has been used to refer to a victim being promised protection from imminent danger in exchange for having sexual relations with a commanding officer, usually when the commanding officer has life and death decisions over their victim.

Recent Events

On 13 December 2010, the American Civil Liberties Union joined other groups in filing suit for the release of American military records on sexual abuse.^[7]

See also

• Effects and aftermath of rape
• Psychological trauma
• Rape crisis center
• LaVena Johnson
• War rape

References

1. ^ "http://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/msthome.asp". http://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/msthome.asp. Retrieved 2010-12-06. 
2. ^ Kimerling R, Gima K, Smith MW, Street A, & Frayne S. (2007). The Veterans Health Administration and military sexual trauma. American Journal of Public Health, 97(12), 2160-2166.
3. ^ Kimerling R, Street AE, Pavao J, Smith M, Cronkite R, Holmes TH, et al. (2010). Military-related sexual trauma among Veterans Health Administration patients returning from Afghanistan and Iraq. American Journal of Public Health, 100(8), 1409-1412.
4. ^ Turchik, J. A., Wilson, S. (2010). Sexual assault in the military: A review of the literature and recommendations for the future. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 15, 267-277.
5. ^ "Military Sexual Trauma Program". Archived from the original on 2007-07-30. http://web.archive.org/web/20070730100125/http://www1.va.gov/wvhp/page.cfm?pg=20. Retrieved 2007-12-31. 
6. ^ http://www.sapr.mil
7. ^ Jamail, Dahr. "Rape rampant in US military." Al Jazeera, 21 December 2010.

External links

• List of Rape Crisis Centers nearest to U.S. military bases
• Report on sexual assault in the military by the United States Department of Defense (large document)

This military-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.v · Categories: Military personnel Stress Women in war Sex crimes Military law Military justice Military stubs Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу Tommy Lee Edwards No. 224 Squadron RAF Look at other dictionaries: Sexual assault in the U.S. military — There is supposed to be an ongoing problem with sexual assault in the U.S. military which has resulted in a series of scandals which have received extensive media coverage. Incidents which were publicized include the Tailhook scandal in 1991, the …   Wikipedia Sexual assault — Classification and external resources Konstantin Makovsky, The Bulgarian martyresses, a painting depicting the atrocities of bashibazouks in Bulgaria during the Russo Turkish War (1877–1878) …   Wikipedia Military use of children — A Chinese Nationalist soldier, age 10, member of a Chinese division from the X Force, boarding planes in Burma bound for China, May 1944. The military use of children takes three distinct forms: children can take direct part in hostilities (child …   Wikipedia Military brat (U.S. subculture) — A military brat (and various brat derivatives)[a] describes people who spend their childhood or adolescence while a parent (or parents) serve full time in the armed forces, and can also refer to the unique subculture and lifestyle of American… …   Wikipedia Military psychology — Psychology …   Wikipedia Estimates of sexual violence — Surveys of victims of crime have been undertaken in many cities and countries, using a common methodology to aid comparability, and have generally included questions on sexual violence. The United Nations has conducted extensive surveys to… …   Wikipedia Biology and sexual orientation — Sexual orientation Orientations Asexual · Bisexual · Heterosexual · Homosexual Gender based alternative concepts Androphilia and gynephilia · Human female sexuality  …   Wikipedia Psychological trauma — (Greek: Ψυχολογικό τραύμα Psychologico travma) is a type of damage to the psyche that occurs as a result of a traumatic event. When that trauma leads to posttraumatic stress disorder, damage may involve physical changes inside the brain and to… …   Wikipedia Commercial sexual exploitation of children — (CSEC) constitutes a form of coercion and violence against children and amounts to forced labour and a contemporary form of slavery.[1][2] A declaration of the World Congress against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children, held in Stockholm… …   Wikipedia Greek military junta of 1967–1974 — Regime of the Colonels redirects here. For the generic usage as a term for military rule, see military junta. For the Polish regime of colonels, see Piłsudski s colonels. For other uses, see Colonels regime. History of Greece …   Wikipedia 18+ © Academic, 2000-2024 Contact us: Technical Support, Advertising Dictionaries export, created on PHP, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, MODx. Mark and share Search through all dictionaries Translate… Search Internet Share the article and excerpts Direct link … Do a right-click on the link above and select “Copy Link”