Rape in the Military Free Essay Example, 1250 words

There are proposals to make legislation to have the investigations taken out of the purview of the military chain of command (Herbert, 2012). Military personnel continue indulging in rape both within and outside as well as in wartimes and peacetimes. A report says that two US naval sailors have been convicted for raping a Japanese woman in October, 2012 while she was walking alongside a street in Okinawa US military base in Japan Both in their early twenties have been sentenced with 10 year and nine year imprisonment respectively. This is a case of US forces committing the crime in Japan (Anonymous, 2013). This is a repeat of a 1995 incident involving a 12 year old Japanese girl who was raped by the US military personnel in Okinawa (Smith, 2004). The fact is that military personnel involved in rape of women within the military are unlikely to be punished and there are 86.5 % chance of the crime being swept under the carpet and 92 % chance of court-martial being avoided. Victims often do not make complaints due to the prevailing culture of acceptance in the US military, fewer prosecutions and the chain of command they have to report through. We will write a custom essay sample on Rape in the Military or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now Women in the military who succeed in obtaining punishment to the military rapists are forced to leave the military service because of harassment in investigation and prosecution(Speier, 2012). No military woman who has been raped can approach a medical facility for treatment as well as for evidence purposes without first informing of the fact to her immediate commanding officer who would often happen to know the perpetrator and have the tendency to protect him. Betrayal comes from the military itself. Medical facilities in the military for rape victims are not as equipped as in civil hospitals. They do not even have a regular sexual assault nurse to give first aid treatment. Records for medical care are not kept confidential and they pass through the regular chain of command. Rape victims eventually start showing poor performance and they are forced to leave service following low work evaluations. Victims are often discouraged to bring charges citin g possibilities of their career in the military being affected and ultimately their families. Women who are raped while under intoxication are not considered as rape victims under military law although involuntary intoxication of a woman would implicate a rapist. Commanding officers often discourage rape victims to pursue their charges as otherwise they are not considered as team players.