WASHINGTON (AP) — One by one, the women of the Senate stood up, speaking out about the scourge of sexual assault in the military and their collaborative effort to address the long-neglected issue.

First-term Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Tuesday it was an issue “that the women of the Senate have really, I think, driven,” not necessarily a woman’s issue, but one of justice and fairness.