Introduction
Sexual assault is not a rare case in the military and supervisors should address this issue as soon as possible. Victims are suffering from everyday violence as they are afraid to tell anybody about it. Despite all the special training programs that exist to decrease the number of sexual assaults, it continues to be a problem. Therefore, new rules like victim protection policy should be implemented to prevent incidents from happening in the army.
Main body
Several important factors are contributing to the occurrence of sexual assault. First of all, in cultures where women are seen as more passive and obedient to men, sexual violence is not considered a big crime (“Why does sexual violence occur?”, n.d.). Secondly, in most cases, the use of drugs and other substances are contributing factors. In addition, social behavior such as victim-blaming encourages the perpetrator, even though it is not the direct cause of assaults.
Even though the current approach to training about sexual harassment brings positive results, it is far from being enough to prevent it altogether. The common type of training is only effective in teaching people how to report the assault (Miller, 2017). However, it may even promote the progression of gender stereotypes and the spread of offensive jokes, which can be counted as a failure to reduce the risk of sexual assaults. Therefore, the current approach to training is not suitable neither for the military nor for any other workplace.
Special programs for victim protection should be implemented to reduce the percentage of violence in the army. The fear of getting in trouble is the most common reason why sexual assault continues to be a problem. According to Darehshori (2019), providing immunity for victims and whistleblowers is what the military should do immediately. Moreover, supervisors do not seem to address the issues properly because victims are still afraid they will not receive any support the next time.
Conclusion
Sexual assault and violence continue to exist in the military despite the measures provided to prevent it. Cultural and gender stereotypes, alongside the consumption of alcohol and drugs, are the most common contributors to the issue of sexual harassment. The current training is not effective enough to prevent it, so the military should implement victim protection programs.
References
Darehshori, S. (2019). Here’s what the military can do to address its sexual assault crisis. The Washington Post. Web.
Miller, C. (2017). Sexual harassment training doesn’t work. But some things do. New York Times. Web.
Why does sexual violence occur? (n.d.) 2020, Web.