Report: Sexual Assaults Rise

The number of reported sexual assaults in the armed forces rose between Oct. 1, 2007, and Sept. 30, 2008, according to a congressional white paper released March 17. The 2,923 sexual assault reports represent an 8-percent increase over the previous 12-month period. Of those, 63 percent involved rape or aggravated assault; 251 occurred in combat zones, including 141 in Iraq and 22 in Afghanistan. Service members have the right to file either a restricted or unrestricted sexual-assault report. The former allows victims to protect their anonymity, but does not lead to a criminal investigation. Of the total during the 12-month period studied, 643 were restricted. Another 110 reports were opened as restricted, but were later made unrestricted. Defense Department officials say in those cases, victims changed the status once they felt confident the system would treat their cases seriously and fairly. "What we hope is that the victim[s] will feel that they’ve gained a sense of control back and maybe they’ll begin to develop confidence in our system and later switch to unrestricted so we can hold that offender accountable," said Dr. Kaye Whitley, the director of DoD’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office.