Annual Report on Sexual Harassment and Violence at the Military Service Academies: Academic Program year 2017-2018
Date
2019
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U.S. Department of Defense
Abstract
The Military Service Academies (United States Military Academy, United States Naval Academy, and United States Air Force Academy) make considerable investments in activities to prevent and respond to sexual harassment and sexual assault by implementing programs that follow Department of Defense policy and federal law. Each year, the Department assesses these efforts. In June 2017, on behalf of the Secretary of Defense, the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness issued a memorandum for the Academies to develop plans to address four key areas identified as requiring immediate attention: Promotion of responsible alcohol choices; Reinvigoration of prevention of sexual assault; Enhancement of a culture of respect; Improvement in reporting of sexual assault and sexual harassment. The Academies submitted their plans to the Department in October 2017 for implementation for incoming cadets and midshipmen arriving in the summer of 2018. The Department fielded its biennial scientific survey of cadets and midshipmen from March/April 2018 prior to the Academies’ implementation of their plans. Therefore the results of the survey do not fully reflect the changes in programming. This year’s report provides an update on the Academies’ progress in each of the four areas directed by the Under Secretary of Defense...This year, the Department’s scientific survey of the Academies found that overall estimated past-year prevalence (occurrence) of unwanted sexual contact increased for cadets and midshipmen compared to rates last measured in 2016. Among all female cadets and midshipmen, 15.8 percent experienced unwanted sexual contact in the past year in the 2018 survey, an increase from 12.2 percent in 2016. Similarly, 2.4 percent of men experienced unwanted sexual contact in the past year, compared to 1.7 percent in 2016. Unwanted sexual contact estimates only increased for women at the United States Military Academy and United States Air Force Academy, while estimates for men only increased at the United States Military Academy. No statistical changes in estimates of unwanted sexual contact were observed among female and male midshipmen at the United States Naval Academy or for male cadets at the United States Air Force Academy. While the overall prevalence of sexual assault increased this year, reporting of the crime remained at about the same as last year. The Academies received a total of 117 reports of sexual assault involving cadets and midshipmen in Academic Program Year 2017-2018, five more reports than last year. Among these reports, 69 were Unrestricted and 48 remained Restricted at the close of the academic period. The United States Military Academy observed an increase in reports of sexual assault, receiving 56 total reports (43 Unrestricted and 13 Restricted Reports), up from 50 reports last year. The United States Naval Academy received 32 reports (17 Unrestricted and 15 Restricted), an increase of three reports from the previous year. The United States Air Force Academy received 29 reports (9 Unrestricted and 20 Restricted), down from 33 reports last year...The Department will focus its 2019 on-site assessment visits to review and assist with prevention and response programming. In addition, the Department will assess the Academies’ continued progress in executing action plans prepared at the direction of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. [CVRL Note: Includes infographics summarizing statistics.] (Author Text)
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Keywords
Survey Results, Military Personnel, Sexual Violence, Rape, Sexual Assault, School Safety, School Violence, Students, Soldiers, Alcohol-related Victimization, Alcohol Facilitated, Barriers to Reporting, Restricted Reports, Unrestricted Reports, Bystander Intervention, Gender-based Discrimination, Gender-based Violence
Citation
(2019). Annual Report on Sexual Harassment and Violence at the Military Service Academies: Academic Program year 2017-2018. U.S. Department of Defense, 33 pgs.