Veterans: On the Frontlines of Power-based Personal Violence
By: Micaela Ang
Tags: Veterans, Uci, Interpersonal Violence, Uci Care, Uci Connected

A discussion about the military and the impact of power-based violence would be remiss if the tragic passing of Private First Class Vanessa Guillén just earlier this year is not first addressed. Private Guillén was a victim of extreme power-based violence committed by a fellow service member. Her case is tragic and heartbreaking, however, it is not uncommon.

Private First Class Vanessa Guillén

In a study conducted by the Department of Defense last year, they found that between the years 2012–2019 the number of sexual assault incidents reported by service members during their military service more than doubled. Furthermore, the study found that in the year 2018 roughly 20,500 service members experienced unwanted sexual contact within the past year, of the victims, accounted for roughly 63% identified as female and roughly 37% identified as male. Another study found that of the reported sexual harassment of active-duty personnel a disproportionate amount of the victims were women with over triple the amount of reports than male victims; within this study, it was also found that a majority of victims were harassed by someone in their chain of command.

Active Duty Estimated Biennial Prevalence Compared to Annual Reporting of Sexual Assult provided by U.S. Department of Defense 2019 Annual Report on Sexual Assult in the Military

When interpreting these numbers we must understand that many instances of power-based violence are never reported. A fear of retaliation or that the process of filing would be unfair and futile. Many branches of the military focus on pride, resilience, and most importantly teamwork. These values run deep for service members and military affiliates, enforcing a culture of connection and community. Understanding the underreporting of sexual assault in the military is also understanding the values on which the military stands on. Fear of rejection and exclusion prevents victims from coming forward with reports. Furthermore, the inherent class-based structure of the military lends itself to the unfortunate abuse of power. As stated prior many of the reported victims had experienced harassment by another service member in their chain of command. Fear of severe punishment or even discharge in these cases also contributes to the number of cases that go unreported. Where do we go moving forward?

We must start with acknowledging and accepting the experiences of individuals in the military impacted by power-based personal violence.

Letting their stories known helps to combat the stigmas that surround reporting and offers support to others that have experienced similar situations. We can challenge the social stigmas that hinder victims from coming forward, especially masculine gender roles that discourage male victims from reporting.

A pair of standard military issue helmets Photo by israel palacio on Unsplash

Resources and References:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/07/06/vanessa-guillens-death-spotlights-sexual-assault-harassment-military/5383313002/

https://www.nsvrc.org/blogs/military-sexual-trauma-resource-list