By the Numbers - Oct. 7, 2013
20%
and
4%
The rates, respectively, of sexual harassment and sexual assault reported by 13,000+ female service members exposed to combat during deployment to Afghanistan and/or Iraq, according to an article published last summer in the journal Women's Health Issues -- Combat Deployment Is Associated with Sexual Harassment or Sexual Assault in a Large, Female Military Cohort.
This may well become a growing problem. According to a recent Stars and Stripes story about the journal article:
Women account for about 200,000 of the military’s 1.4 million active-duty personnel, according to Pentagon figures. More than 280,000 women have deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq since the 9/11 attacks, and women will likely see more combat after the Defense Department rescinded a rule barring them from combat positions earlier this year. The DOD plans to integrate them into those jobs by 2016.
The journal article notes that DoD has "developed programs in recent years, with mandatory training at all levels that also use social media tools to prevent sexual assault against both female and male service members, yet more steps need to be taken to mitigate sexual stressors in the military." It also mentions the paradox involved with measuring the success of these programs.
Because increased formal reporting of sexual stressors is one measure of programmatic success, public health policymakers will be challenged to measure actual effectiveness of programs in reducing sexual harassment or assault.
20%
and
4%
The rates, respectively, of sexual harassment and sexual assault reported by 13,000+ female service members exposed to combat during deployment to Afghanistan and/or Iraq, according to an article published last summer in the journal Women's Health Issues -- Combat Deployment Is Associated with Sexual Harassment or Sexual Assault in a Large, Female Military Cohort.
This may well become a growing problem. According to a recent Stars and Stripes story about the journal article:
Women account for about 200,000 of the military’s 1.4 million active-duty personnel, according to Pentagon figures. More than 280,000 women have deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq since the 9/11 attacks, and women will likely see more combat after the Defense Department rescinded a rule barring them from combat positions earlier this year. The DOD plans to integrate them into those jobs by 2016.
The journal article notes that DoD has "developed programs in recent years, with mandatory training at all levels that also use social media tools to prevent sexual assault against both female and male service members, yet more steps need to be taken to mitigate sexual stressors in the military." It also mentions the paradox involved with measuring the success of these programs.
Because increased formal reporting of sexual stressors is one measure of programmatic success, public health policymakers will be challenged to measure actual effectiveness of programs in reducing sexual harassment or assault.