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Pentagon, Peace Corps Face Similar Charges of Covering Up Rape, Sexual Assault

Two recent reports from major news organizations suggest that women’s safety is not a priority for both the Pentagon and the U.S. Peace Corps.

NBC reported Tuesday on a lawsuit that seventeen former and current members of the U.S. military filed against the Pentagon, claiming that their rape and sexual assault charges made against fellow service members were never seriously addressed. Of the women filing the lawsuit, none of their alleged attackers have been convicted, as all charges were either never pursued or dropped. At least one woman filing the lawsuit was forced to work in the same office as her alleged rapist, even after reporting the incident. Another, after gaining weight due to depression associated with rape, was assigned to a weight loss program of which her alleged rapist was in charge.

The women’s descriptions of rape and sexual assault by fellow service members are egregious, and their responses of depression, loneliness, and fear—typical of sexual violence survivors—were amplified by their surroundings while on active duty.

The Pentagon itself has been frank about the fact that sexual assault within the troops is both increasing and underreported. In fiscal year 2009, reports of sexual abuse increased 11 percent from the prior year, while the Pentagon acknowledged that most cases go unreported and of those reported cases, less than 25 percent are criminally prosecuted.

Last month, ABC News broke the story of over 1,000 women who reported rape and sexual assault while serving with the U.S. Peace Corps, and the subsequent victim blaming and mishandling of their cases by Peace Corps officials.

In an interview, one former Corps volunteer recounts how a group of village men gang raped her, and upon reporting the traumatic incident, she received counseling approved by the Corps about what she must do differently to avoid rape. Other former Corps members reported pleading with Corps officials to change their locations after having been raped, and never hearing back. More than one female Corps member has been murdered while serving, with the Corps typically handing prosecution over to the host country’s judicial system, which has resulted in virtually no convictions. Similar to women who experience rape while on active duty, Peace Corps members’ status as cultural outsiders with little legal recourse increases the trauma associated with sexual violence.

Both stories are completely anger inducing, and unfortunately responses from the Pentagon and the Peace Corps haven’t been all that placating. Major General David Quantock, commanding general of the Missouri Army post, commented that “young kids make mistakes, but they have to understand that in the Army, those mistakes … will not be tolerated.”

I’m not entirely sure Quantock knows what rape is, because I’m sure he’d be convinced that forcibly penetrating someone is, by definition, an intentional, violent act and therefore not a mistake. In ABC’s report, the Peace Corps denied any comment, stating that they couldn’t comment on open investigations. However, two Representatives—Rep. Ted Poe (R-Texas) and Rep. Rohrabacher (R-California)—have pledged to investigate the Peace Corps procedures around sexual violence as part of the House sub-committee on Oversight and Investigations.

The parallels in these two stories are shocking and underline the same point: women’s lives and bodies aren’t taken seriously in either the Pentagon or Peace Corps. Organizations that by some measures couldn’t be more dissimilar share, it seems, far too much when it comes to delegitimizing women’s experiences, perpetuating sexist and violent working environments, and ignoring their needs for urgent medical and mental healthcare.

Women are more likely to be raped by a fellow officer than to be killed by enemy fire, yet rape is not taken seriously within the Armed Forces nor are women allowed to serve in some frontline positions. The logic is befuddling at best and baldly misogynistic at worst. One positive takeaway, however, is that these brave women are speaking out publically, giving voice to so many others’ experiences and bringing much-needed media attention to their claims. As we watch the Congressional hearings on the Peace Corps unfold, as well as the lawsuit against the Pentagon, let’s hope that those women and the tens of thousands like them will find the justice they deserve.

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