Received this e-mail today from Senator Mark Udall (D. CO):
The Department of Defense recently released a report estimating that 26,000 sexual assaults occurred in the military last year. This number is mind-boggling — when one assault is one too many, 26,000 is completely unacceptable.
It gets worse. Only a fraction of perpetrators face their day in court. Many military victims of sexual assault are afraid to report the crimes because they lack faith that their attackers will be punished.
Our servicemen and women risk their lives to protect us at home and abroad, and it’s clear that the current system is failing to keep them safe in return. Make no mistake: we must do everything we can to bring sexual predators to justice and stop military sexual assaults.
Please join me and sign on as a citizen co-sponsor to create a special military counsel to help sexual assault victims find justice and to review hiring criteria for military officers responsible for sexual assault prevention and response:
http://www.markudall.com/...
As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, there are several steps I will be taking in the coming weeks. As one example, I’m co-sponsoring Senators Patty Murray and Kelly Ayotte’s bipartisan bill to create a special counsel within the Department of Defense to give legal advice and help to any victim of military sexual assault. It also moves sexual assault cases up higher in the military chain of command, which will help bring perpetrators to justice.
Senators Claire McCaskill and Amy Klobuchar also proposed a bill that I’m co-sponsoring to review the minimum hiring standards for the military officers in charge of preventing and responding to sexual assault — to ensure the very best are tasked with cracking down on this terrible trend.
I’m proud to support my colleagues and these common-sense measures to prevent further sexual abuse in the military. Will you join me and become a citizen co-sponsor of these important bills in an effort to crack down on military sexual assault?
http://www.markudall.com/...
Of the 26,000 sexual assaults that occurred last year, only 3,000 cases were reported. And only 300 of those went to trial.
We can and must do better to protect our servicemen and women.
Thanks for fighting with me and against military sexual assault,
Mark
You can sign Udall's petition here:
http://www.markudall.com/...