Recently, Presidential candidate Donald Trump has raised awareness and scrutiny to a lesser-known concept called “anchor babies”. This term refers to children of undocumented immigrants who were born in the United States, and therefore granted birthright citizenship through the 14^th Amendment. Opposers claim the parents used their children to gain access to our country and resources illegally, and unfairly. Trump promises to deport these parents and their children as a part of his progressive plan to reform immigration policy, which has the capacity to affect millions living in the U.S.

Trump’s Plan vs. Reality

Trump has 2 major plans to reform immigration policy: mandatory return of all criminal aliens and ending birthright citizenship. The message is clear: Trump wants undocumented immigrants out of the country and feels birthright citizenship “remains the biggest magnet for illegal immigration.” Here’s the problem: this is not the biggest magnet—escaping extreme poverty, corrupt governments, and seeking an opportunity for higher quality of life is. Whatever the reason, Trump thinks they cause problems and deporting them will fix these problems. Deportation, in reality though, won’t really fix any problems. What it can do is separate families causing trauma in children, increase poverty and welfare dependence, put children in foster care, and decrease quality of life for many. The reason it won’t fix any problems (and ultimately cause more issues) is this: current immigration policy already targets these “anchor babies” and their parents.

“I don’t think they have American citizenship and if you speak to some very, very good lawyers — and I know some will disagree, but many of them agree with me — and you’re going to find they do not have American citizenship.”

–Donald Trump

Why is this a problem?

There are several disparities between Trump’s negative views of our nation’s “anchor babies” and the actual policies in place that affect them because the current policy already does what Trump wants; his plan will only intensify the current punitive measures. Therefore, his reasoning behind his plan does not make sense. He claims our current policy is too lenient and needs to be changed. The truth is that current immigration policies already make it very difficult for undocumented parents of children with birthright citizenship to enter and stay in the U.S. legally. So what’s the point of Trump’s plan? That’s what we’re wondering. Here are the facts:

CURRENT IMMIGRATION POLICY:

• Undocumented parents of children granted birthright citizenship face deportation regardless of child’s citizenship
• Family-Based Immigration: grants U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents to bring certain family members to U.S.
  • Undocumented parents must wait until child is 21, then leave U.S. and apply for family reunification immigration request to come back
  • Face 3-10 year wait due to:
    • Immigration court backlog (450,000+ cases) which routinely rejects claims for undocumented parents to remain in U.S. with children
    • Reentry ban which says anyone living in the U.S. more than one year illegally is banned from our country automatically for 10 years

INA: ACT 212 [8. U.S.C. 1182]:

Outlines who is eligible to receive visas and is ineligible for admission including:

• Those with communicable diseases
• Conviction of certain crimes like controlled substance traffickers
• Poses a threat to security and related groups
• Is likely at any time to become a public charge
• Have already entered the country illegally or previously removed
• Do not have proper documentation

Miscellaneous (basically, anyone not fitting into these requirements and deemed ineligible for admission)

Call to Action

Trump expressed a willingness to be lenient for “the good ones,” adding that the U.S. “can expedite it where they come back in.”

–CBS News

This quote is important to consider as we just reviewed immigration policy. We know this isn’t a reality because current policy blocks undocumented immigrants, regardless of children’s citizenship status. This is just another example of how Trump’s views are contradicting, and more reason we need to take action.

Trump’s plan to deport people with birthright citizenship and their families will not end in a positive result—millions of Americans will suffer. Current policy already makes it nearly impossibly for parents to enter and stay in the U.S. with their children legally, so reforming immigration policy will not solve issues, only create more. The conclusion is that Trump’s views of anchor babies and plans are essentially redundant and counterproductive. Therefore, the best option would be to fight against Trump’s plans to reform immigration policy that will target anchor babies. The best ways to do this is to first raise awareness and educate the public on the facts and risks. Next would be to vote appropriately. The only power a regular American has in affecting policy is to vote to elect representatives that support the best plan and policies. In this case, Trump is not the best representative for that. In the end, I am calling for America to stand up and research the facts before ultimately exercising our powerful right to vote.

 

 

 

Language is one of the most powerful tools of social life. From time immemorial, human beings interact from dawn to dusk in any modern day society, and language plays a vital role in their day to day communication. Apart from being a mode of communication it is a main source of thinking as well as self-expression. The current constitution of Pakistan lays clear emphasis on the adaptation of Urdu language as an official language in 15 years (in 1988), however, until today no practical steps were taken, and still English is the de facto official language in Pakistan. Recently in the first week of September, the Supreme Court of Pakistan took notice of this situation, and ordered current government to adopt Urdu language in true letter and spirit. This ruling started a national level language policy debate in Pakistan, that whether to stick to English which is an international lingua franca or enforce Urdu in all offices which is national language of Pakistan, as well as symbol of national identity.

Scope of the Problem

Change of the language can be a drawback for smooth functioning of different offices, as English is used as an international language in many countries across the globe, and even in Pakistan up to today the official language is English from last sixty years. Although English is not the first language in Pakistan, it is still spoken and understood by the educated population. Most of the advertisements are in English in posh areas of major cities, and road signs are in both English and Urdu. In other words, English is very much part of the linguistic landscape of Pakistan. According to the country facts on Pakistan on the CIA website, Urdu is the first language of about 8% of the population, especially the immigrants from what is now India and their descendants, who came during the partition of the Indo-Pak subcontinent in 1947.  The largest spoken language is Punjabi, which is the mother tongue of almost half (45%) of the population. If we compare Urdu with other languages, it is pretty new and still it does not has a rich lexical resources as English has.  If Urdu is adopted as the official language, then English will be left behind in many walks of life in Pakistan. English is the language for science and technology, and it is hard to translate everything in Urdu. It will be hard for the officials to translate each and every word from English to Urdu. Also, somehow over the years Urdu adapted many English words, which are now part of the Urdu language.   The problem is if Urdu is the official language, then there might be some serious official issues if each and every government office uses it.

Critique

This policy and decision can take the country of Pakistan 180 degree opposite from the rest of the world, where English is a predominant medium of communication. Nearly every village in Pakistan has a privately run English medium school, and these changes will affect those schools too. With the advent of Urdu promotion in all walks of life, people might not pay higher fees to send their kids to these schools. These English medium schools often use well trained English instructors and different curriculum as a tool to charge more fee from their students. These schools offer employment opportunities to many English teachers, so this new language policy might affect their livelihood. In nutshell, this should be a step wise process so people attached with current language policy are not affected by this new change in a big way.

 Recommendation

Due to a high rate of illiteracy, the major portion of Pakistani population does not use Urdu. Making Urdu and some other major tongues as official languages would help to enable greater participation by people who do not know English; hence, making the government affairs more inclusive. Urdu is already a language of daily use and it has the capability to absorb other words from different languages, which we use daily without knowing that we are using words of any other language. Our media is already 93% in Urdu, so promoting an already popular language might affect global reach of our graduate and undergraduate students. Keeping this in mind, I would recommend a balanced step by step approach to adopt Urdu as an official language. Having said that, we should not divorce English as it is an international language playing key role in internationalization of our already marginal position in comity of nations.

Call to Action

Language plays an important role in everyday communication and international identity of any nation. Language play a significant role in the political economy of any country, by selecting one particular language over another can offer some benefits to a group commonly known as linguistic capital, and similarly depriving another group not having this linguistic capital.  Pakistan supreme court has taken an important step to enforce Urdu as official language in Pakistan as promised in the constitution of 1973, this is done in an effort to restore status of Urdu as national language of Pakistan. This initiative is an important step for the language policy of Pakistan as it will change the linguistic landscape of country. It is expected that in the light of this policy all official communication as well as key competitive examinations for federal and provincial jobs will be conducted in Urdu. This will offer new opportunities to students from Urdu medium educational backgrounds. However, at this stage it is not quite clear how all courts, and government offices will translate their communication protocols to English.

Even though this policy change is an important toward promoting the national language of Pakistan, but still further actions are needed to make this change a reality in near future. This new language policy calls on policy makers and language professionals to:

• Translate the important official terms from English to Urdu
• Encourage English medium schools to lay solid foundations of their students in Urdu language so that can compete in different competitive exams
• Provide short term crash courses to key employees responsible for national and international communication
• Provide financial assistance to linguists so they can invest their time and energy to translate or develop new Urdu lexicon to replace English words

During the last several years, sex trafficking has become a very prevalent political issue both in the United States and around the world. Because this is such a worldwide issue, in 2000 the United Nations came up with a policy known as the Palermo Protocol to further define trafficking. This Protocol is widely accepted as the standard when it comes to defining sex trafficking. However, the United States continues to abide by their own definition of sex trafficking—only prosecuting pimps and other third parties when violence or fraud to maintain their brothels.

What is this Issue About?

The world’s standard of sex trafficking definition is outlined in the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (2000) which defines the Palermo Protocol as being “the opposition to the exploitation, particularly sexual exploitation, of vulnerable human beings, even when the trafficked person has willfully participated in or ‘consented’ to the forms of exploitation proscribed under the Protocol”. This puts less blame on the victim of sex trafficking (prostitutes) and puts more blame on the pimps, ‘johns’, and other third parties for promoting the exploitation of other humans. The Protocol argues that even if people believe that they chose to engage in prostitution, johns and pimps take advantage of the prostitute’s desperation and hence should be treated as criminals (TVPA 2000). This definition helps reinforce the idea that prostitutes are victims and should be given help and services by the government rather than being prosecuted by the government.

However, the United States maintains a different set of standards. Because the U.S. actually receives financial profit from the sex industry, the United States refuses to abide by the Palermo Protocol and promotes the idea that ‘nonforced’ prostitution should be seen as a type of labor rather than a form of abuse.

Why is this Important?

Because the United States refuses to abide by the Palermo Protocol, thousands of women and children are being trafficked every day inside the United States. This also allows pimps and johns get away with promoting prostitution and the trafficking of other humans simply because they did not use violence or coercion. This is important because virtually all of the United Nations agree that any third party involvement in prostitution reinforces the systematic sexual abuse of women and children.

What are the Facts?

According to the Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation:

• In 2001, 16,000 girls and women were involved in prostitution in Chicago alone.
• Women who engage in prostitution are subjected to ~300 instances of unprotected sex annually
• 20% of women surveyed in Chicago reported having been raped 10 times or more.

What can You do to Help?

Advocate

Organizations like the Cook County Commission on Women’s Issues and Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation exist to decrease sexual assault and sex trafficking. These are just two semi-local organizations that you can get involved with.

Advocate for policies such as the Palermo Protocol and the ‘End Demand Illinois’ Campaign that seek to punish demand for prostitution and to increase services for women and children who are involved in prostitution.

Start a Conversation

This issue will not be resolved overnight. However, every person can contribute to this fight by knowing the facts surrounding this issue and promoting the end to prostitution. Make a call to your local Congressman to convey how much you care about this issue. Lastly, promote the idea that prostitution is not a choice—the exploitation of human beings is never a choice.

Sexual crimes are a huge societal issue. However, it becomes even more difficult to deal with when this issue is prevalent in the workplace, where the bread and butter of a victim and their family are put at risk if they seek help. There must be tougher policies put in place that alleviate the stigma of sexual harassment in the workplace and encourage victims to speak out against it.

What We Don’t Know Can Hurt Us

Many people think that workplace harassment is not a prominent issue. Slater & Gordon, a law firm, conducted a study addressing this issue and found:

• 1 in 6 women have had colleagues look down their blouse or gotten comments about their breasts at work
• 1 in 8 women have left jobs because workplace harassment has made them uncomfortable
• 40% of men report harassment experiences
• 60% of everyone surveyed did not report their incident

Each and every one of us will be joining the work force sooner or later. Having a safe place to work is essential and the right of every human being. Being sexually harassed is frightening as it is. Adding on the fear of losing your job so you can ensure your physical safety makes it even worse.

Who is to Blame?

The primary perpetrator is the employer or employee that commits this act. Exercising their power in order to commit such a demeaning and unsafe act is terrible. The people that belittle or normalize the problem, whether they are employers that are handling the complaint or normal people, are also to blame. They are diminishing the courage that these victims have to have to come forward.

Why not complain?

Victims do not complain because:

• Of fear of losing their job or damaging their career
• Their job revolves around it (ex- waitress or bartender)
• Their complaints are against older or more experienced perpetrators
• They don’t think anything will be done anyway
• People think they don’t have a sense of humor if they do

The Fair Employment Protection Act

This policy prohibits harassment of any kind in the workplace regardless of whether the perpetrator is a supervisor or coworker. It was proposed to counter Vance v. Ball State University, which ruled that supervisor harassment only applies to supervisors that have the power to hire, fire and file employment actions against the victim. This attempted to resolve the problem of lower-level supervisors not getting punished for committing these acts.

A Call for Action

The Fair Employment Protection tries to help the problem, however it is not enough. It does not address the underlying problem- fear of reporting. To address this, a government agency should be put in place where victims can go to launch an investigation. This will make them more comfortable because they are not going to their employer. They will also be going to someone who cares about their problem. Furthermore, the following recommendations could also help with the problem:

• Harsher punishments for verbal or physical sexual abuse
• Mandatory seminars on sexual harassment and workplace etiquette
• Taking complaints and inappropriate jokes seriously
• Being aware of the problem

What Can You Do?

Employers, employees, and common people can do a lot to help solve the problem.

Get Educated.

Know about rape culture and how it affects society. Verbalize the issue to show that it is a problem whether it is discussed or not.

Provide Support.

Victims need someone there to trust them and help them through this process. Show that you care about them and their safety.

Speak Out.

Actively speak out against sexual harassment in the workplace. Intervene as a bystander or issue a complaint to show that this is a serious problem that you will not stand for.

Help Make the Workplace Safe.

Help ensure that the place that you spend the majority of your day in will be safe for everyone by enforcing strict guidelines.

Domestic minor sex trafficking is an increasing issue in the United States, with the Federal Bureau of Investigation estimating that 293,000 youths in America are at risk of becoming victims (2011). Though these youth are being sexually exploited by pimps, the laws often do not work to protect them. More often than not, these victims are treated as criminals by law enforcement and the johns buying sexual acts from these minors get off with only a misdemeanor; because money is exchanging hands for commercial sex, the johns are not prosecuted for statutory rape.

The Issues

State statutory rape laws are not applicable when adults purchase sex from minors. As a result, child victims are typically arrested and convicted of prostitution (Polaris Project, 2015), most often being sent to juvenile detention centers after conviction. The johns caught purchasing sex from minors are not typically prosecuted for sex with a minor; rather they are prosecuted for solicitation of a sexual act from a prostitute. Instead of being charged with a felony for sex with a minor, johns are often charged with a misdemeanor.  (It is important to note, these laws vary significantly state to state).

Overview of Safe Harbor Laws (Polaris Project, 2015)

• Two components:
  • Legal Protection à Preventing the minor from being prosecuted for certain offenses because he/she was coerced
  • Provision of Services à Requires specialized services be made available to survivors (including housing, legal services, etc.)
• Safe Harbor laws vary state to state
  • 15 states currently provide both components
  • 7 states currently provide partial protection, only offering one or the other component

Call to Action:

In the fight against human trafficking and specifically, domestic minor sex trafficking, it is crucial that:

1) Survivors are recognized as victims, not as criminals

2) Johns are prosecuted for their true offense – sexual acts with a minor

In order for this to happen, states must recognize the need to modify their current laws. Safe Harbor laws must be created or modified to provide both legal protection and services to children who are victims of trafficking. Adjustments must be made to current laws regarding statutory rape, making it possible to prosecute johns who pay for sex with a minor.

• Lobby your state government representatives
• Learn more about the issue
  • Polaris Project
  • UNICEF
  • Shared Hope International
• Raise awareness in your community
• 20 ways you can help fight human trafficking

In 2013, roughly 47% of high school students reported having had sexual intercourse, and 41% indicated that they did not use a condom during their last sexual encounter (Center for Disease Control). In order to reduce rates of STI transmission and teen pregnancy, many health organizations have called for comprehensive sex education in schools. In spite of an outpouring of expert opinion, federal funding has been directed toward abstinence only sex education for teenagers.

The Numbers

The CDC estimates that 10 million new sexually transmitted infections were acquired by young people, aged 15-24 in 2013:
• 1,520 cases of hepatitis B
• 11,080 cases of syphilis
• 349,200 cases of herpes simplex virus 2
• 574,000 cases of gonorrhea
• 141,700 cases of trichomoniasis
• 1,801,800 cases of chlamydia
• 6,909,000 cases of human papillomavirus

Additionally, it is estimated that teens aged 15-19 comprised a total of 615,000 pregnancies in 2010 (Guttmacher Institute).
Of these teens:
• 369,000 gave birth
• 159,900 obtained abortions
• 86,000 miscarried

Sex Education: What Works?

Comprehensive sex education includes information about abstinence, condom usage, hormonal contraceptives, and healthy relationships. Promoting information about safer sex practices has been shown to reduce rates of HIV transmission (Cochrane Collaboration, 2008), decrease teen pregnancy rates (National Institutes of Health, 2011), and even delay intercourse in teens (Guttmacher Institute, 2012). Comprehensive sex education for students has been supported by the American Medical Association (1999), the American Psychological Association (2005), the National Association of School Psychologists (2012), and the American Academy of Pediatrics (2001).

Despite it’s effectiveness and support, comprehensive sex education is often accused of encouraging sexual activity in teenagers. Because of this, many politicians vote in favor of giving more federal funding to abstinence only education programs. These programs, however, have been found to have no effect – and possibly even adverse effects – on the age and frequency of sexual activity, as well as rates of infection and pregnancy in teenagers (Cochrane Collaboration, 2007).

Title V

Title V, § 510(b) of the Social Security Act grants $75 million annually towards programs that teach abstinence only education. Programs eligible for these funds must have a curriculum that promotes education regarding:
• the negative psychological effects of having sex before marriage
• the health problems that can occur if one has sex outside of marriage
• the benefits of monogamy and abstaining from sexual activity until marriage
• the social expectations of abstinence
• and the harmful effects of having a child before marriage

A Call to Action

Abstinence only programs have received a 50% increase in federal funds through the new allocations in 2015. This comes without a paralleled increase in funding for comprehensive sex education programs such as the Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP), which only received $41 million in 2014.

Supporting comprehensive sex education programs is essential to reducing the rates of teen pregnancy and STI transmission. In order to achieve these goals, it is important to take action to support effective education strategies for teens.

What Can You Do?

You can help to promote comprehensive sex education by working at the community level, and by reaching out to your state legislators.

Contact the School Board
Make school administrators aware that they can apply for federal funds through the Personal Responsibility Education Program.

Contact Your Legislators
It is important for your representatives to know that their constituents support comprehensive sex education in their communities. It is also important to advocate for better regulation of sex education in schools. For instance, only 13 states mandate that information about sex and reproductive health be accurate in schools (Guttmacher Institute, 2012).

Donate
You can also make an impact by donating to organizations that provide comprehensive sex education such as the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States.

Approximately 1 billion people around the world are affected by the water scarcity epidemic (The Water Project, 2015). Water scarcity is the lack of access to clean and healthy drinking water. Although water scarcity can occur in developed countries, the water epidemic is more prevalent for individuals in developing countries, and for those that live in poverty.

Things to think about…

In developed countries such as the United States, water is a substance that flows abundantly and many of us do not think twice about our water usage. Water is a vital part of our everyday lives; we use it to cook, clean, bathe and to quench our thirst. However, have you ever taken the time to think what your life would be like if you did not have access to clean and healthy drinking water? For children and families in developing countries, this is their reality.

Effects water has on us…

• Health
• Sanitation
• Nutrition
• Education
• Socioeconomic status

According to water.org (2015), “Every minute a child dies from water-related illness”. People in developing countries have to choose whether to drink the water that causes death or not drink the water that might cause death. Illnesses that occur from drinking unhealthy/unsafe water can prohibit a child from receiving a quality education and perpetuate the cycle of poverty.

“Poor Health Leads to Lack of Productivity”

Access to clean/healthy drinking water

Approximately 80% of illnesses in developing countries are linked to poor water and sanitation conditions (The Water Project, 2015). If there is not water, people cannot engage in proper sanitation practices, which can perpetuate the illnesses that are spread.

Effects the water epidemic has on Women and Children

In various cultures around the world, women and girls are seen as the homemakers, who stay home to cook and clean. For women and children in developing countries, girls and women suffer the most because they take on the primary responsibility of fetching drinking water. “Every day, women and young girls carry more than 40 pounds of dirty water from sources over four miles away from their homes (The Water Project, 2015)”. The amount of time that women and children spend traveling to fetch water prohibits them from living out their full potential. Young girls often times have to miss school because they are traveling to provide water for their families. Also, girls that are going through puberty may skip school due to the lack of sanitation that is available at schools. Due to the lack of water, young girls are not able to receive a quality education and over time are more likely to drop out of school.

“Lack of Water = Lack of Equality”

A Call to Action: What you can do?

As you can see, the water epidemic is a fight that affects people all over the world. It is an epidemic that affects people’s everyday lives in areas such as health, nutrition, and education. The lack of clean water in developing countries prohibits individuals from living a healthy life and living to their fullest potential. Women and children suffer the most from water scarcity because they carry the heaviest burden.

 

There are various organizations that are helping to provide clean and safe drinking water for people in developing countries to improve their quality of life.  With the help of your donations you can be the change in transforming someone’s life forever.

The following are steps that can be taken to help in the fight against this epidemic:

• Learn more about the water scarcity epidemic (links listed below).
• Donate to various organizations.
  • water.org
  • thewaterproject.org
  • unicef.org
  • worldvision.org
• Start a fundraiser at your local school, church, or organization. Example: The Water Project’s “Water Challenge”
  • The challenge is to drink only water for two weeks and save the money you would have spent elsewhere, and donate it to The Water Project. One could save enough money to provide water for one person.

http://thewaterproject.org/thewaterchallenge

Supporting these organizations can change the lives of people in a small village and the lives of women and children across the globe.

 In 2008, 60% of unintended pregnancies resulted in birth, while 40% ended in abortion. The abortion debate has been traditionally very polarizing and carries moral undertones. Recently, discussions surrounding when a prenatal infant experiences pain has resulted in policies similar to this one surfacing at state and federal levels (ex. H.R.36 -114^th Congress).

 

Scope of Issue

According to the Guttmacher Institute (2015), each year in the United States over 50% of pregnancies are unintended. This issue overly affects poor and low-income women (more than 5x the rate of high-income women) and can result in poor health outcomes for both women and their children.

Summary of the Act

A pregnant woman can receive an abortion in the state of Ohio if…

• The unborn child is less than 20 weeks post-fertilization
• In order to prevent the death of the pregnant woman
• In order to prevent “substantial and irreversible damage” or bodily impairment of the pregnant woman

If a pregnant woman wishes to receive an abortion…

• Physicians must document, in writing, their reasons for performing an abortion of an unborn child over 20 weeks and must receive approval from a second, unrelated physician.
• Abortion must occur where neonatal/premature infant health care services are available.
• The physician is required to select and cite, in writing, methods of abortion that creates the best opportunity for the unborn child’s survival, unless it poses greater risk for the woman.
• Lastly, one other physician must be present when the abortion is performed; their purpose is to take all necessary precautions to save the life of the unborn child post-abortion.

Critiques

Requiring secondary approval from another physician can be viewed as both a strength and a weakness as it can result in delay in procedure, posing a greater health risk in cases where maternal health is in jeopardy, or it can allow women to get a second opinion of their health outcomes. Additionally, in certain areas of the United States, access to facilities where adequate prenatal care services are available may result in decreased accessibility to abortive services. Low-income, at-risk women often live in these areas, which lack access to certain specialized health care services. Therefore, the populations of women who are more likely to seek abortive services are least likely to gain access to these resources. Furthermore, the act takes into consideration the physical health concerns, but not the mental health concerns affecting the pregnant woman, such as in incidences of rape or incest.

Recommendations

It is essential to accompany this act with more funding for community-based agencies which provide financial, health, birth control, and other supportive services to women encountering an unintended pregnancy that wish to carry their unborn child to full-term, which might be their only option due to this act. If restrictions are being placed on women’s access to abortions, then we must provide them with support for the health of both woman and unborn child and the financial stability of the woman. Culturally, we must continue to decrease the stigma surrounding unintended pregnancies and increase paternal involvement in these cases as well.

Sexual Assault: it is a topic that some of us are passionate to discuss and others avoid due its uneasy nature, nevertheless, sexual assault is a topic that no one can deny the existence and severity. While sexual assault has been a hot topic for the military and Department of Defense, one issue that continues to be a confusing controversy is the military reporting method of a sexual assault.

The injuries from a sexual assault can spread over a lifespan and to family and friends yet victims continue to struggle with reporting sexual assaults within the military. The DoD’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office Annual Report in the Military (2014) is a call to action for military leaders and policy makers to improve the reporting methods that will promote sexual assault reports by establishing a sense of confidentiality and safety for the victim.

The Facts: Restricted vs Unrestricted Reporting Procedures

 

Sexual Assault is defined as sexual contact or behavior that occurs without consent, to include forced intercourse, sodomy, child molestation, incest, attempted rape, and fondling (Department of Justice, 2015). The key word here is “CONSENT.” The military views incapacitation (ie: drunk), unconsciousness, verbal/non-verbal resistance, and a lack of resistance as “NO CONSENT” (DoD Directive 6495.01, 2015). 

 Restricted Reporting intends to maintain the confidentiality and privacy of the victim to ensure that medical and mental services are available without notifying supervision or police. The victim receives the same resources and treatment, but there is no investigation for the crime, leaving the assailant unpunished.

Unrestricted Reporting provides the same medical and mental services as restricted reporting, however chain of command (ie: supervisors) and security are notified of the crime and an investigation is started. In addition to the medical and mental health services, the victim receives legal support.

 

Sexual Assault & Military Culture

While the policies and rules behind sexual assault and reporting methods seem clear and concise, things begin to become unclear and complicated when integrated into military culture.

The military believes in camaraderie and loyalty. Some individuals are required to spend 24 hours together in enclosed locations. However, 81% of unrestricted reports identify the perpetrator as a military member. Often times, these are between coworkers or supervisor/subordinate.

Sexual assault within the work environment disrupts trust (which is essential for military) and not only affects the victim, but the entire team. Out of 18,900 estimated assaults for the year 2014, only ¼ were reported. Many victims have a fear of professional and social retaliation, especially with an unrestricted report.

The Dilemma

How can a victim ensure his or her own safety from the perpetrator, often times a coworker or supervisor, while also keeping their privacy and confidentiality on such a sensitive issue? If a victim files an unrestricted report they can maintain confidentiality, but must endure being near the perpetrator. If the men and women in arms are struggling to find trust within each other, how can we trust them to protect our nation?

A Call to Action

 

The Department of Defense has made great strides in attacking the issues of sexual assault. Prevalence of sexual assault has decreased from 2012 while reporting has increased. Additionally, legal councils and victim advocate teams train extensively to handle such sensitive situations. (Reports to President on SAPR, 2014). However, these improvements fail to address the barriers that victims face when attempting to report a sexual assault. In order to encourage reports of sexual assault, policy makers and military leaders are called to:

• Allow victims to pursue legal action while maintaining privacy and confidentiality.
• Allow victims the opportunity to report a sexual assault outside of the military.
• Allow volunteering victims to act as Victim Advocates for individuals who are considering a sexual assault report
• Educate troops and commanders about victims’ negative perceptions of retaliation to deter victims’ fears

Changes and support for these initiatives will help combat sexual assault within the military; provide victims with an avenue of advocacy and support; and ultimately secure the nation’s well-being on the military front.

This blog will be a  collection of policy briefs written by graduate students in SOCW 410, Section A. All content will be written by class members and posted by the instructor.  The views contained in these posts are individual opinions and do not reflect the views of the University of Illinois or the School of Social Work. Be a part of our social policy conversation–please check back to see what we are thinking about, discussing, and sharing!