The Army is very concerned about sexual assault because of the growing number of cases. Merriam Webster.com defines sexual assault to be “illegal sexual contact” that is used to force a person to consent to it or to inflict pain upon someone who is unable to consent because of age, physical or mental incapacity. It is illegal to commit sexual assault, which means that the law has to be applied for the judgment. Or are the victims not willing or able push for legal punishments?
The answer to the question, “Why does it happen?” has never been fully answered. Alcohol is the main reason for most sexual assaults in the Army. Alcohol can impair your judgement and affect your body’s ability to function. Predators can easily attack someone who doesn’t know what their limits are or doesn’t have a friend to help them. They look down on people who seem hopeless or incapable of making rational decision. I think it might because many Army personnel don’t take the SHARP training seriously until they are confronted with sexual assault. Some people view it as another training session that they are required to attend. The SHARP, also known sexual harassment/assault/ response and prevention programme, was created in order to prevent such harassment/assault. It can also be used as a guide to those who have been victims of sexual harassment/assault. How to report an incident, and whether it is a restricted case or not.
There are two options for reporting to the Army. Restricted report allows victims to report the crime only to designated individuals. This will ensure that the victim receives SARC or VA assistance and treatment. This allows victims to make their decision about whether or not they want to report the crime. Unrestricted report offers the victim the same medical care as the restricted option but it also includes an investigation into the crime. “The healthcare provider will also conduct sexual assault forensic examination (SAFE) to collect evidence from the victim. The victim’s command chain will be notified, but only those with a legitimate need for information about the incident will have access to details. These two reporting options allow victims to choose between Restricted or Unrestricted. They can’t switch between Unrestricted and Restricted. The victim can choose to report the crime in any way they wish. Why is this happening? Perhaps victims prefer the Restricted reporting to the unrestricted. The Army’s most used reporting method is restricted reporting, which I hear often. Restricted reporting allows victims to report that they have been sexually assaulted. But no justice has been served on the offender. They are free to cause harm to others.
While we can’t stop sexual assault in Army, we can make sure that Unrestricted reports are more widely used to identify those who are sexually abusing people. They should be punished or sentenced for their crime. People will be less likely to commit sexual assault if they are subjected to harsher punishments. We must also protect victims better while we do this. Implementing this strategy would help to reduce the number of sexual assaults by a significant amount. The Army will continue to be concerned about sexual assault until they decrease. It is not possible to change the numbers overnight. This will take time. The Army’s leaders must be involved in this process. We must be advocates for the lower ranks and encourage them to do the same. They need to know that there are options available and that they won’t be a victim or offender of sexual assault.
