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Articles on Rape in the US Military

Military sexual assault prevention and response policies, and the culture of violence against servicewomen are among the issues covered here.
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The Guardian: A Culture of Coverup: Rape in the Ranks of the US Military

By Naomi Wolf

June 15, 2012

“A new documentary by director Kirby Dick, The Invisible War, about systemic rape of women in the military and the retaliations and coverups victims face, has won awards in many film festivals, and recently even triggered congressional response. The examples of what happens to women soldiers who are raped in the military are stunning, both in the violence that these often young women face, and in the viciousness they encounter after attacks…

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Mother Jones: House GOP Blocking Abortion Access for Raped Soldiers

By Kate Sheppard

June 13, 2012

“Republican Senators John McCain, Scott Brown, and Susan Collins all support an effort by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat from New Hampshire, to expand abortion access for military women who are raped. But despite bipartisan support in the Senate, Shaheen’s proposal may not make it into the final version of the 2013 defense authorization bill—because House Republicans oppose it…

Official US Navy Imagery/Flickr

Women’s Media Center: When “Jane” Comes Marching Home Again

By Elayne Clift

June 1, 2012

“It didn’t take long for Jenny McClendon, trained as a sonar operator in the Navy, to experience sexual harassment when she joined the military in 1997.  Immediately subjected to harassment by her male counterparts when she refused their sexual advances, they said she wasn’t “tough enough to be in the military.” Finally she complained to superiors, who said that being harassed was a necessary part of training. A first class petty officer called her “a lesbian, a feminist, and a Democrat,” grounds for throwing her overboard, he said…

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OpEd News: The Green Light to Rape—What Happens When We Fail to Prosecute the Rapist

By Jennifer McClendon

June 1, 2012

“The difference between what happens to a rapist and a rape victim has shocked the senses of the American public since US Congressional Representative Jackie Speier (D-CA) began in 2011 sharing the personal accounts of military rape victims to other members of the House of Representatives in a weekly address to the House…

Official US Air Force/Flickr

My San Antonio: 2 More Charged in Lackland Scandal

By Sieg Christenson

May 30, 2012

“Two more Air Force instructors have been charged with having sexual contact with trainees in a growing scandal that authorities said Tuesday was likely to worsen…

Cinedigm/Docurama

The Washington Post: ‘Invisible War’ Documentary Examines Rape in the Military

By Mark Jenkins

June 21, 2012

“Documentary filmmaker Kirby Dick’s “The Invisible War” is a study of rape in the U.S. military that leaves viewers weeping and seething. It may be the Los Angeles director’s most harrowing film to date, but it’s not a departure from his usual concerns…

United States Government Works/Flickr

The New York Times: The Rights of Female Soldiers

May 31, 2012

“Republicans — even a small number of them — joining with Democrats on Capitol Hill to protect women’s reproductive rights is a rare and welcome sight…

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One Billion Rising

By Eve Ensler

February 14, 2012

“It’s 14 years since we started V-Day. We made a determination that we were going to end violence against women and girls. It was an audacious and almost absurd idea, but we committed to it. We believed we could change human consciousness and make the world a place where women were safe, free, equal, with agency over their bodies and futures…

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Female Veteran Writers: Call for Submissions

July 10, 2012

“Anthology to be published in May 2013 seeks poetry and art created by female military veterans or currently serving female soldiers…

U.S. Department of State/Flickr

Dear Mr. Akin, I Want You to Imagine…

By Eve Ensler

August 20, 2012

Dear Todd Akin,

I am writing to you tonight about rape. It is 2 AM and I am unable to sleep here in the Democratic Republic of Congo. I am in Bukavu at the City of Joy to serve and support and work with hundreds, thousands of women who have been raped and violated and tortured from this ceaseless war for minerals fought on their bodies…