Sexual Assault Reports Rise at US Military Academies

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Reported sexual assaults at U.S. military academies rose in the 2021-22 school year, and one in five female students told an anonymous survey that they had experienced unwanted sexual touching, a the Pentagon said on Friday. The survey results were the highest since the Department of Defense began collecting such data.

Defense and military chiefs say reported assaults by students at Army, Navy and Air Force academies jumped 18% year-on-year former. Calling the increase “hugely disappointing and heartbreaking”, defense officials said teams were visiting all three academies this month to try and target improvements and changes to address the issue.

The increase was largely due to the Navy, which nearly doubled the number of reported assaults in 2022, compared to 2021. It is unclear whether the phasing out of COVID-19 restrictions has contributed to the increase. increase, including at the US Naval Academy, which is directly adjacent to bars in downtown Annapolis, Maryland.

“The results are, quite simply, extremely disappointing,” said Vice Admiral Sean Buck, superintendent of the Naval Academy. “The current situation is unacceptable and we need to improve our culture.”

A survey of students accompanying the report found an increase in all types of unwanted sexual contact – from fondling to rape – at all schools. And he cites alcohol as a key factor. The report was released on Friday.

Military services and academies have struggled for years to address sexual assault and harassment, with a myriad of prevention, education and treatment programs. But despite much research and expanded programs, the numbers continue to grow. Last month, young army soldiers dismissed videos and training as outdated and told department heads that small group discussions would be more effective.

The increases have sparked outrage on Capitol Hill and a steady stream of legislation. But so far the changes have not appeared to make a dent in the problem, although officials say the expanded assistance programs have encouraged more victims to report the crimes.

According to US officials, 155 students reported assaults in the 2022 school year, up from 131 the previous year. Of these, US Naval Academy students reported 61, nearly double the school’s total for the previous year, when there were 33, which was by far the most. bottom of all academies for that year.

Cadets at the Air Force Academy in Colorado reported 52, similar to the previous year, and those at the US Military Academy at West Point in New York reported 42, down slightly from 46 in the last year.

Not all of the assaults described in the report occurred while the students were enrolled in the academies. Because students are encouraged to report assaults, they sometimes come forward to talk about events that happened in the years before they started school there. As a result, 16 students reported an assault in the 2021-2022 school year that occurred before joining the military.

Additionally, 35 cases involved civilians, active duty military, and prep school students who were allegedly assaulted by someone who was a student. In total, the total number of reported assaults related to a student was 206, about 28% more than last year’s total of 161.

The COVID-19 pandemic led to a brief drop in cases at academies during the shortened 2019-20 school year, when in-person classes were canceled and students were sent home in the spring to complete the semester online.

At the start of the 2020-21 school year, students faced a number of restrictions due to the ongoing pandemic. But as these slowly reduced and bars and restaurants reopened, the numbers started to rise again. Officials said it was difficult to say what impact, if any, COVID-19 had on the 2021 school year.

The Pentagon publishes two reports each year on the number of sexual assaults reported by military academy students and by US military personnel. But because sexual assault is such an underreported crime, the department also conducts anonymous surveys every two years to get a clearer picture of the problem among students and the active-duty population. Pentagon leaders believe the investigation provides a more accurate description of the assaults and contributing factors.

According to surveys, academy students are less likely to report an assault than unschooled military personnel. Students may worry more about the impact on their military career or even on the career of their abuser.

According to the academy’s latest student survey, 21.4% of women said they had unwanted sexual touching in the 2022 school year, up from around 16% in 2018, the last year the survey was completed, due to COVID-19 restrictions. Among men, the rate rose from 2.6% in 2018 to 4.4% in 2022.

Based on the survey, assaults on women were most often committed by a man who was usually in the same grade and more than half the time knew them from school or other activities . Attacks on men were more often – 55% of the time – by a woman who was in the same grade and knew them.

Alcohol use was implicated in well over half of the cases reported in the survey, with a high of 65% at the Naval Academy. The report recommends additional policies on alcohol consumption.

The report also found that sophomores and young men were most at risk. And women are still much more likely to report assault than men.

Pentagon leaders have for years pushed public campaigns urging students to report any attacks, and they argue that an increase in reports of assaults suggests students feel more comfortable asking for help.

According to the report, the rates of unwanted sexual contact reported in the survey are “at or above civilian rates” based on 2014 and 2018 statistics from the American Association of Universities. No other more recent statistics were available, so it is difficult to accurately compare military academies with other non-military universities.

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