Niki Tsongas: “While one in six women will experience sexual assault in her lifetime, as many as one in three women leaving military…”

“While one in six women will experience sexual assault in her lifetime, as many as one in three women leaving military service report that they have experienced some form of military sexual trauma. By the Pentagon's own estimate, as few as 13.5 percent of sexual assaults are reported. Additionally, while 40 percent of sexual assault allegations in the civilian world are prosecuted, this number is a staggeringly low 8 percent in the military. The military has been slow to take the appropriate actions necessary to protect victims of sexual assault. For example, rape victims still do not yet have the right to a unit or duty location transfer following an assault. This means victims of sexual assault are often forced to live and work alongside their perpetrator, facing repeated stress and trauma due to the constant contact they may have with an assailant who is part of their unit. As unbelievable as it sounds, this is exactly what happened to Marine Lance Corporal Maria Lauterbach, who accused her assailant of rape, and then spent the next 8 months exposed to the accused rapist, who later murdered her and buried her with the body of her unborn son in his backyard. Although these events happened in 2007, the Department of Defense has not adopted provisions that would allow victims to escape constant contact with their assailant.…”