April is Sexual Assault Awareness month

Published March 30, 2012
By Michelle Loughlin
Tinker Sexual Assault Response Coordinator

TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Next month marks the eighth year that April will focus on the problem of sexual assault.

This subject has certainly been in the news and been the topic of many conversations. And believe it or not, I view that as progress. People often comment about how extensive the problem of sexual assault and child sexual abuse has become. I believe that sexual assaults and sexual abuse have always taken place, but previously were seldom disclosed because of victim blaming. We are just beginning to talk about it, and talk is the first step in moving to resolve it.

Victim blaming remains prevalent in our society. One has to look no further than the popular media on any given day to see prime examples. But many of us continue to endorse these myths that cause irrevocable harm to victims without even thinking about it.

When we judge others on their appearance and justify certain treatment based on these perceptions, we engage in blaming the victim.

One widely held but factually inaccurate myth is that women frequently make up false allegations of sexual assault. This has been empirically demonstrated to be false by no less than the FBI, which places the actual number of false reports at somewhere between 5 and 8 percent of total reports. What is widely known is that survivors often decide not to assist in the investigation due to the stigma and shame associated with being a victim of sexual assault.

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta announced major changes to the Defense Department's Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program in a January news conference. Among the new initiatives announced are the following:

· Victims filing an Unrestricted Report can ask for an expedited transfer from their unit or installation to protect them from harassment and remove them from proximity to the alleged perpetrator. Commanders must make their decisions within 72 hours.

· Military dependents (18 years and older) who are victims of sexual assault may file a Restricted Report and receive the services of a Sexual Assault Response Coordinator and SAPR Victim Advocate.

· A sexual assault victim now has a privilege to refuse to disclose a confidential communication with a victim advocate.

· All sexual assault patients shall be given priority as emergency cases, regardless of whether physical injuries are present

As April begins, I hope everyone will respond with compassion to those who have the courage to disclose sexual assault. Let that person know that what happened was not their fault and support their decision to speak about it.

For more information on the subject of sexual assault, call the Tinker SAPR office at 734-9293. Also available is the 24 hour response line, 734-7272. DOD offers a confidential and anonymous hotline at 877-995-5247.