YouTube Series Highlights Military Sexual Assault Victims’ Quests for Justice [Sex Crimes]

After news broke on the potentially fathomless depths of sexual assault in the military, women from the various service branches have come forward with harrowing stories of their assault allegations being either ignored or covered up. For some women, sexual assault was just the beginning of a long nightmare that could possibly include retaliation for speaking out or, in acutely horrifying instances, psychological profiling that would then serve as the basis for eventual military discharge. As more servicewomen decide to share their experiences in an effort to raise awareness about military sexual misconduct, more venues are opening to them, including a new YouTube channel called WIGS, which, starting Monday, will feature a three-part series on sexual assault in the military called "Lauren."

Flashdance star Jennifer Beals along with Troian Bellisario will be featured in the series, which chronicles military women seeking justice for sexual assault. The Defense Department estimates, however, that these women may merely constitute the dorsal fin of a large and menacing problem — as many as 86 percent of sexual assault cases may go unreported because victims fear that their careers will be adversely affected by bringing accusations forward, and nobody really trusts the current military justice system to deal with these cases effectively.

YouTube series focus on military sexual assault [AP via Yahoo!]

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Already Major Air Force Scandal Is Even Worse Than We Thought [Sex Crimes]

Jul 27, 2012 4:10 PM  

Like most massive, long-covered up government infractions, the Texas Air Force Lackland base scandal is even more widespread than everyone initially thought; the number of instructors under investigation has increased from 12-15 and the number of alleged victims has gone up from seven to 38. Officials say there may be even more.

Six of the 15 original instructors have already been charged, like Staff Sgt. Luis Walker, who will be spending 20 years in prison for rape and sexual assault. Next up is Tech. Sgt. Christopher Smith, who "is accused of trying to develop an intimate relationship with a trainee, making sexual advances toward her, having illicit social encounters with a second woman and obstructing justice." Just the type of behavior you want in a supervisor, right? (Keep in mind that Lackland is where all recruits go through basic training, and that most instructors are male but one in every five recruits are female.)

A two-star general has launched a separate probe, nearly 80 members of Congress have called for a hearing, and the House Armed Services Committee is also holding a closed-door briefing next week on the investigation. We're kind of afraid to see what else is uncovered.

Lackland Air Force Base Sex Scandal: More Under Investigation In Widening Controversy [AP]

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