Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are pressing Pentagon leadership to ensure that dependent military children are safe from sexual assault by older students at base schools. Their concern specifically focuses on existing Defense Department policy that could keep victims from getting help, and rehabilitate and hold children who commit such crimes accountable.
Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Jack Reed, D- R.I., called for an investigation into the matter by the Pentagon’s inspector general, in a March 15 letter to Defense Secretary James N. Mattis. The probe would address policies in place by both the Defense Department and the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA), which manages stateside and overseas schools for military dependents.
“This assessment should examine the authority of DoDEA officials and military commanders to hold offenders accountable for criminal acts and a review of services available to military families to address the mental health and other needs of victims of the misconduct,” McCain and Reed wrote.
McCain chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee. Reed is its ranking member.
In the House, Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., said she plans to call for hearings on the matter in the near future. Speier sits on the Armed Services Committee.
The strong Hill reaction comes in the aftermath of an Associated Press investigation, which revealed that reports that prosecutors often never take action regarding crimes — even when guilty pleas are involved.
