Changing mindsets on sexual assault Published April 23, 2008 By Pamela Dorsey 375th Airlift Wing Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Coordinator SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- For every call I receive to respond to a sexual assault, there are probably five calls that never get made, but not on this particular Saturday morning. I was in my car returning from a training session when my duty cell began to ring that special ring to let me know the command post was on the line. When I answered, the voice on the other end said the words I don't often hear, but when I hear them, like a trained soldier, I prepare myself mentally and position myself physically to receive the message. The voice said, "Ma'am, we have someone on the line who would like to speak to the SARC." So it begins -- I start the process of gingerly facilitating the care of a person who has been sexually assaulted, knowing the assault has left them feeling violated, remorseful and ashamed and understanding even better than the victim that the experience will be with them for the rest of their life. About every two minutes someone in the United States is sexually assaulted. More than 60 percent of those assaults are never reported to police. Similarly in the military, based on an Air Mobility Command Installation Climate Assessment on Sexual Assault, an estimated 80 percent of the victims who were sexually assaulted within the last 12 months did not report their assault. One of the main reasons in both cases is the victims fear of losing their privacy and confidentiality. Unfortunately, victims are still hesitant to report their assault and as the central point of contact for reporting. It causes me to question why this is still the case, especially when programs have been implemented to allow victims to report their assaults confidentially. In the recently released 2007 DoD report on Sexual Assault in the Military, the number of overall reports decreased slightly from previous years. Although the report acknowledges the findings to be inconclusive, it implies one of the possible reasons for the decrease is the success of the Sexual Assault Prevention Programs. I would agree that SAPRs throughout the DoD have done an excellent job at increasing overall awareness of the crime, but also wonder if the decrease in numbers is a true reflection of the assault reality. Even though we have successfully implemented sexual assault prevention and awareness, the corresponding affect does not necessarily mean a decrease in actual assaults. Especially when we know statistically that one in four women between the ages of 18 and 24, one in six women in their lifetime and one in 33 men have experienced, or will experience, an attempted or completed sexual assault. This, coupled with the fact that within the pulse of our society there is a sexual undertone that permeates all venues of marketing, music and media that is accepted and has made many companies and individuals quite wealthy, possibly paints a more realistic picture of our sexual assault climate. Let's face it... sex sells. As we leverage technology through military air power, predators have learned to leverage the internet against our children and marketers have encouraged sexual addictions. My conclusion is that assaults are probably still happening, they're just not being reported. The reality is that in 2008 our challenges are greater, the influences are more powerful and the solutions are not so easily found. Personally, whenever I have discussions with installation personnel who are enlisted, officer or civilian where I have to continue to explain the prevalence, diversity or reality of this crime, I always walk away scratching my head and wondering how can I get them to better understand plain and simply, "the baby is ugly". This crime is perpetuated by those who are married, single, divorced, young, old, officer, enlisted, fathers, mothers, uncles, aunts or cousins. Sexual assault does not discriminate and when I have to explain that to those whom I would think understand, I become a little disheartened. Although we have educated, briefed, and marketed the impact sexual assaults have on the victim as well as how it deteriorates the values within our military, there are still those who have asked me to make the message more palatable, the images less offensive, and the language less direct. Yes, we still have a ways to go. While reporting may not truly reflect the occurrence of sexual assaults, Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Programs throughout the DoD are making great strides and are hitting the ground hard with the message. In fiscal year 2007, more than 10,000 victim advocates received initial or refresher training and provide 24 hour a day, seven day a week sexual assault response capability in both deployed and stateside environments. And with great support from all military services, the department and the military SAPR programs are now turning the attention of the programs to focus more on accountability. These efforts will, in my mind, start to force and impact change in our culture. There is a saying that goes "it takes a village to raise a child". Well, the child here is formed by the face of our culture. It's my hope that in time, with concerted effort and a consistently supported message, the face of the future will reflect a culture that has been positively influenced by the efforts we are making today.