Sobriquet 27.7: Sex Abuse By Military Recruiters
According to a joint CBS News/Associated Press article, over one hundred women as young as sixteen with an interest in joining America's armed services have been sexually assaulted by their recruiters in the past year. While several of the instances of sexual activity were consensual, there has been an alarming rise in the number of rapes and gropings. According to the article
At least 35 Army recruiters, 18 Marine Corps recruiters, 18 Navy recruiters and 12 Air Force recruiters were disciplined for sexual misconduct or other inappropriate behavior with potential enlistees in 2005, according to records obtained by the AP under dozens of Freedom of Information Act requests. That's significantly more than the handful of cases disclosed in the past decade.
Furthermore, "[t]he increase in sexual misconduct incidents is consistent with overall recruiter wrongdoing, which has increased from just over 400 cases in 2004 to 630 cases in 2005, according to a General Accounting Office report released this week."
In order to cut down on sexual misconduct among its recruiting officers, "male Army National Guard recruiters in Indiana cannot be alone in offices, cars, or anywhere else with a female enlistee" without risking severe disciplinary action. As a result, Lt. Col. Ivan Denton, commander of the Indiana Guard's recruiting battalion reports that "[w]e've had a lot fewer problems." Denton concludes that "[i]t's almost like we're changing the culture in our recruiting."
Perhaps most disturbingly, "[m]ost recruiters found guilty of sexual misconduct are disciplined administratively, facing a reduction in rank or forfeiture of pay; military and civilian prosecutions are rare." In other words, some aspects of military culture are allowed to exist outside the realm of American law. Sexual abuse among coworkers at Subway is grounds for firing and courtroom drama while in the military, it seems, it might result in a cut in pay or a drop in prestige...
Some cynical people might note that this sounds eerily like paying for sex, only without the threat of (outside of Nevada, at least) criminal prosecution.
Interesting...
At least 35 Army recruiters, 18 Marine Corps recruiters, 18 Navy recruiters and 12 Air Force recruiters were disciplined for sexual misconduct or other inappropriate behavior with potential enlistees in 2005, according to records obtained by the AP under dozens of Freedom of Information Act requests. That's significantly more than the handful of cases disclosed in the past decade.
Furthermore, "[t]he increase in sexual misconduct incidents is consistent with overall recruiter wrongdoing, which has increased from just over 400 cases in 2004 to 630 cases in 2005, according to a General Accounting Office report released this week."
In order to cut down on sexual misconduct among its recruiting officers, "male Army National Guard recruiters in Indiana cannot be alone in offices, cars, or anywhere else with a female enlistee" without risking severe disciplinary action. As a result, Lt. Col. Ivan Denton, commander of the Indiana Guard's recruiting battalion reports that "[w]e've had a lot fewer problems." Denton concludes that "[i]t's almost like we're changing the culture in our recruiting."
Perhaps most disturbingly, "[m]ost recruiters found guilty of sexual misconduct are disciplined administratively, facing a reduction in rank or forfeiture of pay; military and civilian prosecutions are rare." In other words, some aspects of military culture are allowed to exist outside the realm of American law. Sexual abuse among coworkers at Subway is grounds for firing and courtroom drama while in the military, it seems, it might result in a cut in pay or a drop in prestige...
Some cynical people might note that this sounds eerily like paying for sex, only without the threat of (outside of Nevada, at least) criminal prosecution.
Interesting...
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