Ed Markey: “the Gillibrand amendment would address an issue that is fundamental to who we are as Americans: ensuring justice for the…”

“the Gillibrand amendment would address an issue that is fundamental to who we are as Americans: ensuring justice for the men and women who serve in our military. When brave young men and women enlist in the armed services, they do so to defend our country and our values. Yet those values are being undermined by the problem of sexual assault in the military. Over the past decades, our military has expanded equality. I am proud that all of our services recognize that women have a vital role to play in the military, including in combat. I wholeheartedly endorse, after years of debate, the recognition that being openly gay or lesbian has no bearing on one's ability to serve. These advances in equality in our military are vitally important-- they make our military stronger and all of us safer--but they are an empty promise without access to justice. And when men and women are the victims of sexual assault in the military, they are often deprived of justice. We all know the shameful numbers. An estimated 26,000 cases of unwanted sexual contact and sexual assaults occurred in 2012--a 37 percent increase from 2011. But the statistics that trouble me most are that 50 percent of female victims did not report the crime because they believed that nothing would be done. And 62 percent of victims who did report a sexual assault perceived some form of professional, social, or administrative retaliation as a result. And the tragedy is--they're right.…”