Re: Myers

For another class, I watched a documentary called Rethink Afghanistan today.  The film was primarily about US involvement in the war in Afghanistan, but it spent a great deal of time emphasizing the violence carried out against women in war zones.  According to the film, women were supposed to be liberated in Afghanistan when the Taliban were defeated.  However, violence against women actually got much worse in the war torn country, primarily on account of US occupation.  With in increase in militarization, there has been a significant increase in the amount of sexual assault incidents, particularly in the US military.  The film, like the articles from the New York Times, points out the intrinsic link between the military and sexual assault.  One fact that really stood out to be in “A Peril in War Zones” was, “a woman in the military is more likely to be raped by a fellow soldier than killed by an enemy fire in Iraq.” Yet, despite this obvious link, it is regarded as a military taboo and there is very little to done for the victims of sexual assault.  As “A Peril in War Zones” states, the majority of sexual assault allegations don’t result in prosecution.  With this being the case, in addition to the potentially high risks involved reporting, it becomes clear why a lot of women might not feel comfortable reporting.  While it is nice to hear that more women in the military are coming forward, it should also be noted that more women are in the military now.  In turn, this could make it seem as if a greater percentage is coming forward than in the past when really there is a larger pool of women. 

Captain White’s story portrays the difficulties facing women in the military when it comes to reporting.  Captain White was assaulted by a warrant officer multiple times, but did not come forward about what happened because she believed that she had to keep quiet and her head down in the military.  It wasn’t until another investigation arose that Captain White’s story surfaced and the warrant officer was charged with nineteen offenses. Captain White admits that she may not have handled the situation properly, but that there is a lot of emotional baggage for victims of assault in the military that keep them from reporting.  The military is supposed to provide security for our country’s men and women, but it seems that it cannot even do that within its own institution and that women are disproportionately victims of such security failures.   If the military cannot act as the role model is often made out to be, then what hope does that leave the “civilian world” with?  Societal change is often a product of a change within institutions, so the military has a responsibility to take a proactive stance when it comes to combating the perils sexual assault in war zones.