FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Department of Defense Task Force on Sexual Assault Submits Findings, Recommendations to Secretary Gates
December 22, 2009 Indianapolis, Indiana – The Department of Defense (DoD) Task Force on Sexual Assault in the Military Services has recently completed and submitted their report to Defense Secretary Robert Gates. The report finds that the DoD has made progress in improving the response to victims’ needs, but calls for DoD to do more to fully address the spectrum of sexual assault prevention and response.
Anita Carpenter, Chief Executive Officer of the Indiana Coalition Against Sexual Assault (INCASA), serves on the DoD Task Force. “We studied the defense department’s sexual assault polices and practices and made several recommendations for change from the top down,” said Carpenter.
The task force made a number of recommendations involving DoD’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office, including: temporarily elevating oversight of this office to the jurisdiction of the deputy secretary of defense until the program meets established institutional goals: calling for collaboration with the military services and national experts in sexual assault prevention to develop a comprehensive strategy and a plan to routinely evaluate it: and more rigorous oversight of military service training programs.
The task force did recommend that Congress should, as a permanent measure, enact a comprehensive military justice privilege for communications between a victim advocate and a victim of sexual assault. Other recommendations include: ensure service members who report they were sexually assaulted are afforded the assistance of a nationally certified victim advocate: ensure victims understand their rights, including the opportunity to consult with legal counsel to minimize victim confusion during the investigative process: Improve medical care for victims of sexual assault, particularly those in deployed areas: and ensure gender-appropriate care for male victims.
“Our recommendations will set military leaders, from the Pentagon downward, on a environment for victims to seek help and justice,” said Carpenter. “The key to that effort is encouraging a climate in which victims feel free to report the crime without fear of retribution, stigma, or harm to their careers.”
The task force based its assessment on data collected over a 15-month period at 60 sites around the world. Task Force members spoke to more than 3,500 people, interviewing active duty and reserve component victims of sexual assault and other military personnel. During their assessment, they also interviewed general court-martial convening authorities, legal and investigative officials, senior policy officials, sexual assault response coordinators, and victim advocates.
A copy of the full report can be found at http://www.dtic.mil/dtfsams/reports.html. For more information regarding this release, media may contact Erik Scheub with INCASA at 317-771-1398, or by email at .
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