NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment ‘occur nearly twice as often within military ranks as they do within civilian life’ and are the leading cause of post-traumatic stress disorder in women veterans, but the Pentagon refuses to release information on it, or on its feeble efforts to help women who suffer from it, the Service Women’s Action Network says in a federal FOIA complaint.
‘Service members still are not adequately protected from MST [military sexual trauma] while they serve, and victims still are not adequately cared for after they leave,’ the complaint states. ‘The government has resisted releasing information that might show the true scope of the problem or highlight its own negligence – information that must be known for the problem to be solved.’
With the ACLU as co-plaintiff, the Service Women cite surveys which ‘indicate that between 6 and 23 percent of women experience one attempted or completed rape during their service period, depending on the decade. And the story gets worse: 37 percent of military rape victims experience multiple rapes, and 14 percent experience gang rape.’
The complaint continues: ‘Due to underreporting, the prevalence of MST is likely far greater than current reports […]