Sexual assaults in U.S. military communities is worse than publicly reported by the Defense Department, according to a new report by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.
A report released Monday by the New York Democrat asserts that the Pentagon has held information back on reports of military sexual assaults, according to CBS.
“What we’ve found are alarming rates of assault among two survivor groups not routinely counted in DOD surveys, survivors declining to move forward with their cases and very low conviction rates,” she said.
According to a review of roughly 100 case files, 53 percent of victims are civilians or military spouses — two groups not counted in Defense Department surveys on military sexual assaults. Civilians filed reports against service members in 32 percent of the reviewed cases, while military spouses filed 21 percent, the report found.
“Given that these survivor groups are overlooked in prevalence survey data, the total survivor population may be far larger than the most recent estimated of 20,000 cases of sexual assault or unwanted sexual contact in FY 2014,” said Gillibrand, who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee.
A report released Friday by the Pentagon said those experiencing military sexual assault dropped by 27 percent, though those reporting cases rose by 11 percent.
“Even with the much-lauded reforms, the system remains plagued with distrust and simply does not provide the fair and just process that survivors deserve,” Gillibrand said.
Gillibrand has long been a champion for reforming the Pentagon’s handling of military sexual assault. Her March 2014 bill reformed how sexual assault cases were prosecuted by the military failed, 55-45.
