Information Sought on Military Sexual Assaults

By some estimates, one in three women in the military experience sexual assault during their enlistment. But the Department of Defense and the Veterans Administration have refused to give details on what's called MST -- Military Sexual Trauma. The ACLU and ACLU of Connecticut have joined the Service Women's Action Network (SWAN) in demanding the relevant documents under the Freedom of Information Act.

SWAN initially filed requests for this information from each of the military branches. Their requests were either denied or ignored. The ACLU has now joined to insist on disclosure. "We want to know how many claims are accepted or rejected and have those claims broken down by race and gender," says Anuradha Bhagwati, executive director of SWAN.

The two organizations, working together, seek better oversight of assault reporting, better enforcement and more funding for MST victim treatment. They also seek improved ways for victims to report MST anonymously and without fear of retribution or isolation. The hope is that is by making the military records about MST public, those goals can be achieved.

SWAN has also pointed out the lack of VA treatment for MST survivors. While great strides have been made in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) treatment for combat veterans, the same cannot be said for the victims of MST. SWAN says veterans who file MST claims consistently have their claims denied by failing to prove an "initial stressor" despite the fact that requirements for proving initial stressors were recently relaxed for combat veterans.

The Department of Defense reported 3200 assaults last year, but SWAN believes that to be only one-fifth the actual total.

Read more on the ACLU blog.