Army’s Sexual Assault Database Draws Flak

Fifteen members of Congress have written Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey saying that an Army plan to develop a sexual assault database could violate victims’ privacy. The database would include the victim’s name and Social Security number, along with detailed personal data, as well as information from police and medical reports. The writers stated that such a database could actually deter victims from reporting their sexual assaults and seeking treatment. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., said the planned system should protect victim’s privacy and not compromise it. The National Organization for Women declared that the program is “unconscionable and will bring the reporting of sexual violence and assault in the military to a standstill.” Other organizations protesting the Army’s plan are Stop Family Violence, the Miles Foundation and the Feminist Majority.