Commentary: The most underreported crime in America

  • Published
  • By Capt. Natalie Winkels
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Sexual Assault Prevention and Response victim advocate
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  Looking for a way to volunteer my time for a worthwhile cause, I became a Sexual Assault Prevention and Response program victim advocate. The training I received to volunteer for this important position changed my entire outlook on sexual assault. It allowed those of us in the class to openly discuss an uncomfortable subject and challenge our outlook on prevention and treatment for working with survivors. It's one of the most valuable trainings I've received from the military.

As a victim advocate, I'm given the duty of responding to sexual assault victims and making referrals for the help they need, whether it be assisting them with a medical exam, seeing the chaplaincy, interacting with law enforcement officials or going through the judicial process. Most importantly, if needed, I can also be the emotional support for the victim.

Although volunteers like me are available if a sexual assault occurs, after looking through the Department of Defense fiscal year 2010 annual report on sexual assault in the military, available at www.sapr.mil, it's easy to see how important it is that we continue to teach prevention and intervention to our military members.

Overall, we're on the right track; we're improving training for our military members about reporting options, prevention awareness and intervention. The report showed 93 percent of Service members reported that they would intervene in a given scenario.

However, the report also highlighted remaining areas of concern. Although there has been an overall increase in reporting since the start of the DOD SAPR program in 2005, sexual assault continues to be the most underreported crime in the United States and the military community.

Of the 3,158 reports of sexual assault documented in the study, 10 percent were male. Additionally, Service members and civilians of all ranks and ages were among the victims. This finding demonstrates the importance of understanding that anyone can be a victim of sexual assault. With regards to underreporting, the DOD estimated that approximately 19,350 incidents of unwanted sexual acts occurred in 2010. This could be attributed to several factors.

Fear of reprisal, fear of losing a relationship, job status, fear of personal safety, personal privacy, not being believed, participating in other crimes -- such as underage drinking -- or personal blame can create boundaries that prevent victims from coming forward.

The study revealed that the culture the DOD is generating for victims to come forward is improving. Tremendous efforts of dedicated individuals are greatly responsible for the continued success of the SAPR program. Victim advocates, for example, are an integral part of the program's success, and we are always looking for more volunteers.

There are still areas in need of improvement, as the study states both male and female Service members say that sexual misconduct is a greater problem now than it was four years ago.

"An increase in reports of sexual assault is not necessarily a bad thing as, most likely, assaults are happening as they were before," said Kimberly Dickman, RAF Mildenhall sexual assault response coordinator. "The increase could mean that survivors trust the system, the advocates, the process and leadership. With continued education, we can encourage survivors to come forward to get the help they need and work to eliminate this crime in the Air Force."

There are many resources available online, and through your units for information on reporting, intervention, referrals and volunteering. For more information, visit the RAF Mildenhall SAPR Facebook page at www.facebook.com/RAFMildenhallSAPR.