Hagel Orders Review Of Sex-Abuse Prevention

Hagel Orders Review Of Sex-Abuse Prevention

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=184688501

by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

May 17, 2013

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Friday ordered the military to recertify all 25,000 people involved in programs designed to prevent and respond to sexual assault, an acknowledgement that assaults have escalated beyond the Pentagon's control.

He said this step, which also applies to the military's approximately 19,000 recruiters and must be completed by July 1, is one among many that will be taken to fix the problem of sexual abuse and sexual harassment within every branch of the military.

At a news conference with Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Hagel said he believes alcohol use is "a very big factor" in many sexual assault and sexual harassment cases, but there are many pieces to the problem.

He and Dempsey spoke one day after all of the military's leadership were summoned to the White House to discuss the sexual assault problem with President Barack Obama, who has expressed impatience with the Pentagon's failure to solve it.

At his Pentagon news conference, Hagel said it has become clear to him since taking office in February that holding people accountable for their actions is important, but simply firing people is not a solution. He said he gets a lot of advice on that.

He said some ask him, "Well, why don't you just fire some people?" He said his answer is, "Well, yeah, we could do that. And, you know, who are you going to fire?"

Hagel signed a one-page memorandum addressed to the uniformed chiefs and civilian heads of each of the military services requiring that the credentials and qualifications of all recruiters, sexual assault response coordinators and sexual assault victim advocates be reviewed to ensure that they meet current standards. They also will be given refresher training on professional ethics and the impact of violations.

"I am concerned that this department may be nearing a stage where the frequency of this crime — and the perception that there is tolerance of it — could very well undermine our ability to effectively carry out the mission, and to recruit and retain good people," Hagel wrote.

A catalyst for congressional outrage has been the disclosure in recent days of at least two cases in which a military member with responsibility for sexual assault prevention programs has himself been accused of sexual misconduct. Cases of sexual assault allegations against military recruiters also have arisen recently.

Dempsey, who has been among the most outspoken Pentagon official on this topic, called sexual assault in the military "a crime that demands accountability and consequences."

"As the president made clear to us yesterday, we can and must do more to change a culture that has become too complacent," Dempsey said. "We have a serious problem that we must solve: aggressive sexual behavior that rips at the bond of trust that binds us together."

Earlier Friday, the Air Force's top general said that sexual assaults in his branch of the military typically involve alcohol use and can be traced to a lack of respect for women.

"We have a problem with respect for women that leads to many of the situations that result in sexual assault in our Air Force," Gen. Mark Welsh told reporters in a lengthy interview in his Pentagon offices.

Welsh said combatting the problem, which he characterized as a crisis, is his No. 1 priority as the Air Force chief of staff. He said he reviews every reported case of sexual assault; last year there were 792 in the Air Force.

Welsh addressed criticism about his comment last week, in response to questions at a congressional hearing, that the problem can be explained in part by a "hook-up mentality" in the wider society. Some said his remark implied that the blame rests mainly with victims.

"If I had this to do over again, I would take more time to answer the question and not try to compress it," he said, adding that his point was that every person who enters the Air Force needs to be instructed in "this idea of respect, inclusion, diversity and value of every individual."

"Now, I didn't say it that way in the hearing, and I wish I had because I think it gave, especially victims, the opportunity for someone to interpret what I said as blaming the victims," he said, adding that as a result, "I am sorry about that because there is nothing that is farther from the truth."

Obama said after Thursday's meeting with the military leaders that he is determined to eliminate the "scourge" of sexual assault in the military, while cautioning that it will take a long and sustained effort by all military members.

"There is no silver bullet to solving this problem," Obama said.

"We will not stop until we've seen this scourge, from what is the greatest military in the world, eliminated," he told reporters.

Senior military officers are speaking about the problem with increasing bluntness and expressions of regret. Dempsey, the Joint Chiefs chairman, on Wednesday called it a "crisis" in the ranks, and on Thursday the Army chief of staff, Gen. Ray Odierno, publicly acknowledged his service's efforts are "failing."

"They care about this and they are angry about it," Obama said.

"Not only is it a crime, not only is it shameful and disgraceful, but it also is going to make and has made the military less effective than it can be," the president said.

Those summoned to the White House by Obama included not just Hagel, Dempsey and the chiefs of each military service but also the civilian heads of each service and senior enlisted advisers.

"I heard directly from all of them that they are ashamed by some of what's happened," Obama said.

The president added that because assault victims may be more likely now to come forward with complaints, the number of reported assaults may increase in the short run.

"I then want those trend lines to start going down because that indicates that we're also starting to fix the problem and we've highlighted it, and people who are engaged in despicable behavior, they get fully punished for it," Obama said.

The problem, which has plagued the military for decades, has been thrust to the fore by recent cases, including that of an Air Force officer who headed a sexual assault prevention office but was himself arrested for sexual battery.

On Thursday, Army officials said the manager of the sexual assault response program at Fort Campbell, Ky., had been relieved of his post after his arrest in a domestic dispute with his ex-wife. The program he managed was meant to prevent sexual harassment and assault and encourage equal opportunity.

"It is time we take on the fight against sexual assault and sexual harassment as our primary mission," Odierno said.

A Pentagon report last week estimated that as many as 26,000 military members may have been sexually assaulted last year, based on survey results, out of 1.4 million in the services.

That report, and a recent series of arrests and other sexual assault problems across the military, have triggered a rush of initiatives from the Pentagon and proposed legislation on Capitol Hill.

Most sexual assault victims have little faith in justice system

Most sexual assault victims have little faith in justice system: survey

ALISON AULD

HALIFAX — The Canadian Press

Published Sunday, May. 05 2013, 5:17 PM EDT

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/most-sexual-assault-victims-have-little-faith-in-justice-system-survey/article11722891/

A majority of sexual assault victims have little to no confidence in the police, the courts or the criminal justice system, according to a new government survey that echoes what advocates have been saying for years.

The responses in the Justice Canada survey indicate that two-thirds of the men and women who took part had no faith in the justice system, the process of filing a complaint against their abuser and the prospect of seeing a conviction.

The majority of victims of both child and adult sexual abuse did not even bother filing a complaint with the police, fearing they would be blamed or wouldn’t be taken seriously, the document says.

“Survivors also often feel they are not believed and are somehow to blame,” says the report called The Victims of Crime Research Digest.

“There was a perception among some that while the survivor must cope with the traumatic experience, the accused is not punished.”

The report surveyed 207 sex abuse survivors at six sexual assault centres in mostly urban areas across Canada in 2009 and represented different demographic groups, including aboriginals in the North.

It found that the majority – including 70 per cent of the male participants – did not report the abuse to police because they feared they wouldn’t be believed or didn’t trust the justice system.

The Justice Department declined a request for an interview.

A spokeswoman for Justice Minister Rob Nicholson sent an e-mail instead saying the federal government has implemented measures to reduce violence, such as strengthening sentences for those who commit child sexual offences. The e-mail did not respond to specific questions about the survey.

Frontline workers have long said there are too many deterrents in the criminal justice system that discourage sexual assault victims from coming forward with complaints.

Hilla Kerner of the Vancouver Rape Relief and Women’s Shelter says the Justice Department findings are of no surprise.

“It’s just the same old, same old,” she said from her office.

“There is a general national failure of the criminal justice system to respond to women reporting on all forms of male violence against women – rape, battery, incest and prostitution.”

The document, which was released late last month, said 43 per cent of men and women in the sample from northern Canada had no confidence in the criminal justice system while 35 per cent of the female sample were not very confident in the court process.

Kerner said there are several failings in the justice system that result in many cases going unreported. She said police don’t do thorough enough investigations, victims are made to feel that the assault was their fault, prosecutors rarely take the cases to court and the conviction rate is low.

Her group, which receives about 1,200 calls a year, sampled a month’s worth of calls last year and saw that out of 113, only 17 women decided to file a complaint with the police. Of those, one case was tried and got a conviction.

“Whenever the Crown decides to drop charges, which is more often than not in sexual assault cases, they’re preventing this justice of holding men accountable,” she said.

“So every time women experience the failure of the criminal justice system, not only are they as individuals losing trust in getting justice from the system, other women are witnessing that, too.”

The Justice report found that 55 women out of 114 reported their assault and that 22 of those went to trial, with convictions rendered in 18 .

The findings come as governments throughout Canada mark Sexual Assault Awareness Month and weeks after the suicide of a Halifax teenager whose family says the justice and education systems failed her at every turn.

Rehtaeh Parsons, 17, was taken off life-support last month following months of what her family said was online bullying linked to an alleged sexual assault.

Parsons’ family says she was assaulted by several boys at a house party in 2011 and that digital images of the assault were passed around her school.

Her death sparked national outrage and prompted the Nova Scotia government to launch reviews of the RCMP’s original investigation into the case and the school board’s handling of the matter.

The police also reopened a criminal investigation into the alleged assault after receiving new information. Before that, the RCMP said they had concluded there wasn’t enough evidence to lay charges.

The Justice Department report said the survey participants called for sensitivity training for police on how to handle sexual assault cases, faster processing of complaints, tougher sentences for abusers and more thorough investigations.

On the 65th commemoration of the Nakba, We have purchased Gaza’s Ark

Français - Español - Italiano - Português - Deutsch - Dansk - Svenska - Norsk - ελληνικά - العربية - עברית  :http://www.gazaark.org/translation/


On the 65th commemoration of the Nakba, the struggle continues:

We have purchased Gaza’s Ark
      with your help, we will sail towards justice




When Palestinians and other people of conscience mark Nakba (Catastrophe) Day on May 15, they insist that the world acknowledge the history of Palestinian dispossession since 1948.  As world leaders have ignored Palestinian dispossession in general, they have also ignored the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza under the  Israeli blockade. Gaza's Ark is a people-to-people campaign to force the injustices faced by Palestinians in Gaza back onto the world's agenda. 
We are excited to announce today that we have bought the boat that will become Gaza's Ark! 
Your generous support has allowed us to reach this milestone. Your continued strong support will be crucial to our direct action campaign to challenge the blockade by sailing out from the port of Gaza withPalestinian exports for international markets.
We have made the down-payment to the boat’s previous owners but still have to pay the balance of the price, in addition to raising the funds required to rebuild and convert this fishing boat into a cargo vessel. With the help of donors like you we have raised over $90,000 to date (of an estimated campaign budget of about $US300,000).
Your continued support is the only way to ensure that the work will continue. Any amount is welcome, from $1 to $10,000 but if you can afford it, please be generous.
Since there are currently no cargo vessels in Gaza, we have purchased a fishing boat whose previous owners, like all fishers in Gaza, have difficulty making a living because of the violent restrictions imposed on Palestinian fishing boats by the Israeli government and we will convert it to a cargo vessel. 
Much rebuilding is required and we are pleased that we will provide some work opportunities in Gaza where the illegal blockade has caused massive unemployment. Work on the boat will begin in a few days and it is critical that we have money in hand to ensure that the work will not be delayed, in the short term, due to lack of funds.  We also need to make the remaining boat payments to the seller on time.
We need you to be a part of this public challenge to the complicity of our governments with the illegal Israeli blockade of Gaza.  The Palestinian port of Gaza must be open for marine traffic like every other Mediterranean port. We will not rest until that happens – please help us work towards that goal. The pace of our campaign's progress depends on the generosity of supporters like you, and on your willingness to help us recruit other individuals and organizations. 

Please visit our website, which features regular updates about the campaign and many ways to donate. There you will also find information about our Palestinian Trade not Aid initiative, and links to the ongoing Freedom Flotilla Coalition campaigns for Palestinian freedom of movement, including freedom of sailing for the Palestinian fishing fleet.

Please support Gaza’s Ark in any way you can, spread the word of the campaign to your contacts, friends and family. This will help the project progress as quickly as possible.
Together we can help end the blockade of Gaza!
Please donate generously http://www.gazaark.org/donate