Investigating the Rise in Military Sexual Misconduct through a Women-Focused Lens

Trigger warning: this article mentions sexual assault, sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, murder, and suicide.

Sexual misconduct is an umbrella term that encompasses sexual harassment and sexual assault. Sexual harassment is defined as discrimination based on sex and can take the form of malicious speech and harmful actions, although it does not always involve physical contact. In contrast, sexual assault always involves physical touch since the instigator targets individuals through non-consensual and often violent means of contact. Both forms of sexual misconduct can be reported and are traumatizing to the victims. However, certain conditions cause sexual misconduct claims to be disregarded, thus leaving the victims both frustrated and vulnerable.

One of these conditions is found within the military, where ranking dictates the treatment of sexual misconduct claims. For instance, in 2019 Pentagon reported that 20,500 service members, of which 13,000 were women and 7,500 were men, had experienced a form of sexual assault. However, less than “670 court-martials were initiated for sex-related offenses, with only 203 claims” resulting in convictions (Chappell, 2021). The discrepancy between the frequency of military sexual assaults and the number of convictions has also attracted media attention through platforms like TikTok and Instagram.

Many TikTok creators choose to center their content on educating their viewers about global issues like sexual assault as well as sexual and racial injustices. These crises are often neglected and hidden from traditional media. However, TikTok is considered a social media platform, which allows information to be shared with ease through the comment section or by sending videos to others. This was demonstrated through the hundreds of published and shared TikToks that aimed to bring justice to Vanessa Guillen, a Fort Hood soldier. Guillen had experienced sexual harassment at her military base and was reported missing the day she was going to file a sexual misconduct claim. Further investigations revealed that Guillen was murdered on April 22, 2020. An Army Specialist (Spc.) and his wife were suspected of Guillen’s murder, although only his wife was charged because the Spc. had taken his life in response to the investigation.

Although Guillen’s investigation resulted in tragedy and heartbreak, it is important to highlight the efforts of social media influencers and why we should raise awareness of the injustices associated with sexual misconduct. For example, hundreds of sexual assault-oriented videos have been uploaded and have received +5,000 likes and hundreds of shares. The high level of engagement received by these videos demonstrates the demand for educational content. If these videos were banned from or never uploaded on social media platforms, hundreds of individuals would become ignorant to sexual misconduct issues since younger generations tend to rely more on social media platforms than conventional news outlets.

The publicization of sexual misconduct issues is indicative of workplace inequality because high-ranking military officials manage sexual offense reports. This is disheartening for sexual assault victims and individuals who previously dreamed of being employed within the military, since the rise in misconduct demonstrates poor workplace security and safety. The victims I am referring to in this instance are primarily women because military women are twice as likely to experience sexual assault than men, based on Pentagon’s report. However, although women are more likely to be victims of sexual misconduct, both women and men are unlikely to receive justice and closure for the trauma associated with their sexual assault.

All in all, sexual misconduct is unacceptable, and filed reports should be processed accurately to provide justice to the victims. Citizens can also help shine a light on these issues by sharing posts related to sexual misconduct, providing empathy and support to victims, educating ourselves on these issues, and spreading awareness amongst friends and family because these situations occur daily - regardless of the lack of filed reports and media coverage.

by Harshdeep Dhaliwal '23 (Blog Subcommittee Member)

Reference

Chappell, B. (2021, April 23). Military Panel Urges Taking Sexual Assault Cases Out Of Commanders' Control. npr. https://www.npr.org/2021/04/23/990174459/military-panel-urges-taking-sexual-assault-cases-out-of-commanders-control