Pentagon says sexual assault reports in the military experience 50% jump last year

On Thursday, the Washington Post said that the number of US service members who have filed sexual abuse reports had increased by 50% last year. The paper said that although military officials are stumped as to whether the increase means that its existing policies on sexual abuse prevention are no longer effective, the paper observed that the increase might have meant that the military is struggling to deal with sex crimes in the ranks. It is to note that military officials added that the increase in sexual abuse reports had acknowledged the fact that the increase could mean that more people are now confident to come forward about the abuse.

The definition of the Defense Department described sexual assault as, "intentional sexual contact characterized by the use of force, threats, intimidation or abuse of authority (involving a victim who does not consent)." The Pentagon report revealed that a little more than half of the cases that were investigated in 2013 involved offenses that were classified as alleged rape, sexual assault or non-consensual sodomy.

The Pentagon said that it has received 5,061 reports of sexual assault last year, as compared to 3,374 the year before. Officials have said that the figures may not represent the actual number of sexual abuse cases committed in the 1.4 million active-duty-strong military each year. The figures also showed that sexual abuse reports in the Marine Corps experienced an 86% jump during the fiscal year ending September 30, 2013, while the Army posted a 51% jump. The Navy and the Air Force posted 46% and 33% respectively for the same period, the Pentagon said.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel acknowledge the need to curb such abuse and told reporters, "We have a long way to go in solving this problem. We must keep up the pressure and intensify our efforts to improve victim confidence in our system."

On the other hand, director of the Pentagon's sexual-assault prevention office, Major General Jeffrey Snow, said that despite the depressing figures, it does not mean that the justice system is failing them. He said, "Each one of these crimes is very unique and is tried on the merits of the case. What I would say is the victims are getting their day in court, and the results are the results."

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Pentagon, Defense Department, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel

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