You Will Let Me Sexually Assault You, Do You Understand? “Sir, Yes Sir!”
Taking a look at the sexual violence inflicted on women within the military.
“…Within [military] ranks a hidden battle is taking place. One that the military is losing...”
Sexual assault is an epidemic occurrence that affects men and women everywhere. Whether it be in a domestic affair or a state affair, anyone is susceptible to sexual assault. The military is no exception.
Women in the military have faced many hardships throughout the years. Women were not allowed to serve in the military up until 1948. Even then, women oftentimes faced and still continue to face this feeling of being an “outsider” within this institution. By being an “outsider” in the military, I am referring to the fact that women are oftentimes not seen as qualified or capable of being violent actors. For example, a veteran expresses to the NY Times, “My male counterparts were deemed competent and capable until they proved otherwise, where on the other hand it was often assumed that I was incompetent until I proved I was not.” Another, and the most predominant, issue women face in the military is this cycle of sexual abuse committed by their fellow soldiers. A survey reported that 1 in 5 female veterans are victims of MST (military sexual assault). Shockingly, it is also reported that up to 84% of women experience sexual assault or harassment while on active military duty.
Lucinda J. Peach’s article, “Is Violence Male? The Law, Gender, and Violence” helps shed a light on this ongoing sexual abuse against women in the military. She mentions, “Whereas the law generally recognizes the military as a social institution vested with legitimate authority to engage in the use of violence, it excludes women from most roles involving violence while at the same time ignoring much of the violence unleashed by military men against women.” Here, Peach argues that the same laws that allow the military to perpetuate violence against others are the same ones that take away this violent agency from women. In other words, the law blurs the ability to see women as perpetuators of violence because oftentimes it associates women to being victims. This constant victimization demeans women into “weak” beings who are in constant need of protection. Being victimized within the military has serious consequences. For one, you will be seen as someone who is “in need of protection” and therefore, physically weak. Peach adds, “…One of the most frequently raised arguments in opposition to military women serving in combat duty is that they need to be protected from the kinds of physical and sexual violence that would be inflicted upon them if they were captured by enemy troops and became prisoners of war…” This explains why women were not allowed to have combat roles/positions up until 2015.
Victimization also makes women seem weak in every single aspect- mentally, physically, and emotionally. This notion of women being “weak” makes it easier for their counterparts to prey upon them. Peach reinstates this idea by claiming, “When the law has recognized women’s rights, it has frequently done so on the basis of stereotypes of women as victims ‘too helpless or dysfunctional to pursue a reasonable course of action’.” By seeing women as “helpless” or too “dysfunctional to pursue a course of action”, sexual perpetuators within the military see ease in assaulting women believing that the women will not put up a fight or even take any action against them.
Violence is associated to men and their masculinity. Law has constantly reinforced this idea in military by excluding women from combat positions, by having a male-only draft, and by allowing women to formally join the force years after men. This has a profound effect because it shows that laws itself has favored the violence that is perpetuated by men only. Peach makes note of this by mentioning, “…Through the gendering of the combat exclusions and draft exemptions, the law assumes that the state-sanctioned violence of the military is male.” She also adds, “The law’s assumption that the virtues of “manliness” are necessary for effective combat soldiering…reflects a view of violence as a male province in which women have no legitimate business.” Inherently, we see here that law serves to reinforce the stereotype that only men can be violent actors. Men are qualified to be soldiers and men have always had legitimate authority to inflict violence upon women, who, have no business in violence. As Peach also points out, “Written by men for men, the law is designed to protect men from the power of the state and to adjudicate conflicts between men, to preserve order in a society of men.” This would help explain why out of the 3,158 reported sexual assault in 2010, only 175 men actually served any jail time for sexual assault. The law not only legitimizes male violence, it also serves to protect them in these cases.
The Invisible War is a film that perfectly depicts this ongoing “invisible” battle of sexual assault against women in the military. The film mainly recounts the stories of the sexual abuse faced by many female veterans, as well as some active personnel, and how it has impacted their lives. Many of the women were brutally physically assaulted by comrades before being raped, were drugged by these men, and even had guns pointed at them in order to force them to have sex. A story that completely shocked me was that the prestigious Marine Barracks in Washington D.C., which notably is one mile away from the capitol, is one of the worst areas of sexual assault and harassment for women. A veteran recounted that when she got there, men constantly asked her what sexual favors she had done to get into this prestigious place. This veteran was later raped by her superior. She was raped one mile away from the U.S. Capitol.
The film also shows how women who reported their assaults were treated and how their cases were handled. The military’s Criminal Investigative Division claimed that cases were often not taken care of by superiors, the credibility of the sexually assaulted women was constantly questioned, and that they were forced to question and interrogate women like criminals despite knowing they were telling the truth. One woman who was a U.S. Air Force Security Police even mentions that when they received sexual assault cases, they were ALWAYS handed to men because women were too “sympathetic” and would likely take the “raped women’s side.” Not only did women face this dilemma, oftentimes if sexually assaulted soldiers reported, they would likely be subject to professional retaliation. One veteran mentions that she was de-ranked because she reported while another mentioned that she was charged with adultery even though SHE was raped.
Sexual assault in the military is often overlooked by those within the military. Few changes have been made since to protect women from military sexual assault. A solution the military decided was fit was the creation of SAPRO (Sexual Assault Prevention and Assault Office). However, The Invisible War shows that SAPRO can only “strongly suggest” that the military to take action. They have no real force or power over the institution. When considering the fact that 20% of female veterans were sexually while serving; 25% of women did not report their rape because the person who they needed to report to was their rapists; and that it is estimated that 14,900 people were victims of military sexual assault in 2016, we must stop and reflect how our institutions are failing those that risk their lives everyday. We need to take action to protect the women that protect us. We need to stop with this notion that women are victims and therefore, weak. Women who serve in military are strong, fearless, and brave. We need to hold men, superiors, the gendered law, and the institution as a whole accountable for the sexual assaults that take place, that are swept under the rug, and that are constantly reinforced in the military.
