Sexual harassment and sexual assault are major issues in military settings, which destroy and ruin the lives of many victims involved. Although the Army has made a multitude of systematic attempts to prevent its occurrence rate, the issue still persists as a serious concern. The main purpose of the given assessment is to provide an in-depth evaluation and analysis of the problem and derive plausible solutions based on the current evidence. Therefore, it is vital to modify the physical environment, enhance bystander intervention, and invoke leadership involvement.
Sexual harassment and sexual assault are prevalent matters in the Army due to a wide range of complex reasons. However, the primary cause is the lack of strong competitive prevention measures, which would impose severe punishment on harassers and protect the victims. In addition, one might argue that the overall military culture can also be considered as a contributing factor, which facilitates the occurrence of such actions (Skopp et al., 2020). In other words, the general environment harnesses the emergence of instances of harassment and assaults, and it is supplemented by the fact that there were not strong preventative measures put in place.
The current approach to training reduces the risk of sexual assault and harassment because it slowly began to recognize the presence of the problem. Although one might argue that it could be more effective, it is evident that the direction and course of action are correct. However, it is critically important to improve the overall evaluation of the effectiveness and plausibility of the given training modifications. It is needed in order to make essential improvements and ensure the progression of the strategies, which are designed to reduce or eliminate the issues.
One should note that sexual harassment and assaults do not affect the various groups equally. It is stated that military sexual trauma is suffered by 4% of men and 41% of women, which shows that either females are experiencing the problem more or males are highly reluctant to report the issue (Barth et al., 2016). In both cases, the matter is systemic and widespread, and it needs to be eradicated from top to bottom.
Thus, in order to facilitate proper change, one of the most critical changes should revolve around the bystander interventions because they are direct witnesses. It is evident that these individuals are the only ones who can intervene in a timely manner. In addition, leaders and people in command are capable of discouraging the actions of sexual assault and harassment by introducing stricter control and change in the culture. Lastly, it is mandatory to integrate physical environment changes, where these actions are not likely to occur (Skopp et al., 2020). For example, the Army could utilize cameras to observe these instances, in which case, there would be direct evidence of both harasser and victim.
In conclusion, sexual assault and sexual harassment are major problems in the Army and military setting in general. One should be aware of the fact that women are more likely to be affected or report the event statistically. In both cases, the issue is evidently systemic and prevalent due to culture and lack of proper preventative measures. Therefore, it is critical to make the required changes, which are manifested in physical environment modification, leadership involvement, and bystander intervention. It is time to eradicate this corrosion from the Army and make it honorable as it should be.
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References
Barth, S. K., Kimerling, R. E., Pavao, J., McCutcheon, S. J., Batten, S. V., Dursa, E., Peterson, M. R., & Schneiderman, A. I. (2016). Military Sexual Trauma Among Recent Veterans. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 50(1), 77-86. Web.
Skopp, N. A., Roggenkamp, H., Hoyt, T. V., Major, H. M., & Williams, T. J. (2020). Army sexual harassment/sexual assault response & prevention program (SHARP) Tiger Team: A model to inform prevention. Military Behavioral Health, 8(1), 64-73. Web.