Sexual assault: SARC stresses need for intervention

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Ethan Morgan
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  The U.S. Air Force has never tolerated sexual assault, and today it is a top priority for the Air Force to eliminate sexual assault altogether.

"Sexual assault has no place in our Air Force," said U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh in a memorandum to all commanders and command chiefs. "It's time we all wake up and get mad about it, because the only acceptable number is zero."

According to Air Force Pamphlet 36-2241, "Sexual assault includes rape, forcible sodomy (oral or anal sex), and other unwanted sexual contact that is aggravated, abusive, wrongful, or any attempts to commit these acts."

April is officially the start of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and the Sexual Assault, Prevention and Response office is striving to educate RAF Mildenhall Airmen on how to prevent sexual assault.

"We know that most people aren't sexual predators," said Kelli Hardin, 100th Air Refueling Wing Sexual Assault Response Coordinator administrative assistant. "However, people need to know how to spot a potential sexual assault situation."

However, the ability to spot a potential sexual assault isn't enough; Airmen have to be willing to intervene before anything happens.

"Intervention is key in stopping sexual assault," said Hardin. "It doesn't matter how much I teach, train or lecture, someone has to be willing to step in when they see that somebody needs help and stop the situation before it occurs."

Sexual predators typically plan out the attacks on their victims, but not all sexual assaults are actively planned. This means at any time anyone can be a victim of assault.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's website at www.cdc.gov, statistically one in five women report being sexually assaulted, while only one in 71 will report any sexual crime committed against them.

By increasing awareness of this type of crime, the hope is that more victims will come forward.

"We shouldn't have to worry about this in the Air Force," said Hardin. "However, when it does occur we want people to know we are here to help. We want them to feel empowered, safe and comfortable to come forward and speak with us."

The SARC is available to anyone 18 or older. Along with working with victims, the SARC also works with loved ones of the victim, friends and commanders, and is willing to meet with people at their convenience.

If a victim tells a friend that he/she was sexually assaulted, that friend is encouraged to keep the information private and confidential. However, if a victim (or that friend) tells any person who is either a first responder or in the victim's chain of command, then that individual is required by law to report the assault.

A report can fall into one of two categories: restricted or unrestricted.

A restricted report process entails the victim giving an official report to the SARC, a victim advocate, medical personnel or a chaplain and then getting the help he/she needs. This type of report is confidential. Restricted reporting is available for only military members and military dependents who are 18 or older.

Unrestricted reporting occurs when the victim or another person reports the assault to the police, security forces, the Office of Special Investigations or anyone in the victim's chain of command. With an unrestricted report, the victim gets the help he or she needs, and an investigation opens which can lead to legal ramifications for the assailant. This means that an unrestricted report process isn't confidential.

The SARC is located in building 670 and is regularly available from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Emergency access is also available.

To contact the SARC for more information or to seek help, call DSN 238-2009 or commercial 01638-542009. For emergency access, call the 24-hour number at DSN 238-SARC/7272 or commercial 07876-148603.