CNN recently reported that military sexual assaults at our military academies was up 60% over last year.   I’m probably one of the few people that read this and thought it was potentially a good thing.  Here’s the logic.  Awareness increases reporting.  A few years ago, the Hartford public schools started asking children if they had been sexually abused and the number of reported cases went through the roof.  I believe we have a similar example here.

Scary Stuff

This is the scary place for any organization.  People assume that the reported quantity of something is pretty reliable.  Murders, robberies, kidnappings are generally around 100% reported.  Sexual assaults on the other hand tend to hover around 15-20% .   The reasons tend to be pretty standard:  fear of not being believed, social pressure, embarrassment, fear of retaliation, etc.  

Add in the pressures of a Military Academy and the reported percentages are probably lower than national averages.  Since people’s perception is that whatever number is reported is 100%,  the public opinion poll says there is an increase in incidents.   In reality, it’s just an increase in reported incidents.  The hard part is educating people on the difference.

I can’t say for certain that this is what is happening at the academies, but I would put money on it.  This is the cycle that organizations go through.  I’m sure someone in a position of power is taking the literal view of things and is probably targeting the Director of Sexual Assault Prevention, Major General Hertog.   I hope she can take the heat long enough to educate any critics that may be out there.  The biggest challenge to fixing the problem is getting people to recognize exactly how big the problem is.

Let us know if we can help you dealing with your family’s sexual abuse victim situation. For ideas to get started please check out our book on what to do during the early days after disclosure.