Confidentiality Policy Issued for Sexual Assault Victims

A new Defense Department policy memorandum establishes DoD guidelines for confidential, restricted reporting by victims of sexual assault. Using restricted reporting, a sexual assault victim can disclose confidentially the details of the assault to specifically identified individuals, and can receive medical treatment and counseling without triggering an official investigative process. “Through our research, we have learned that providing confidentiality to victims will actually increase the probability that cases will be reported, cases that are currently unknown to us,” said principal DoD deputy for Personnel and Readiness David S.C. Chu. The scope of this change requires extensive, in-depth training for all DoD personnel and specialized training for commanders, senior enlisted advisors, investigators, healthcare providers and others involved in sexual assault response, said officials. The policy will be effective 90 days from the date the memorandum to the military departments was issued, which was Mar.16 2005.