Saw The Invisible War at the SF International Film Festival yesterday. It's a very, very powerful film about military sexual assault. If you are in San Francisco, please go see it Monday April 23 or Tuesday May 1. It's a must-see for anyone interested in contemporary women's rights.
After the screening during the Q&A, a number of women in the audience spoke about having been raped in the military, and thanked co-directors Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering for shining light on this hidden subject. Through their live testimony and responses from Kirby and Amy, I learned some new things about why rape in the military can be even more traumatic than rape in the "civilian world." It's about betrayal. These women are broken down in bootcamp to become part of a close-knit team that depends on each other in truly life-or-death situations. They are stripped of their former identities and taught obedience to those of higher rank. They exit bootcamp so enthusiastic about their service to our country, and as such are also extremely vulnerable to serial sexual predators. Or, in military terms, these women are "high value targets."
Statistic: 15% of men in the military have attempted rape or assault prior to entering, double the percentage in the civilian world. And get this: sexual predators average 300 victims in their lifetimes if not caught.
So the military provides "the perfect storm" for rapists. Aggressive predatory dudes in a culture that not only tolerates but promotes sexual harassment, 15% who have already tried or succeeded at rape and gotten away with it, all stuck together in a world where naive, bright-eyed women (and men) are ready to obey all commands. These women are totally unprepared for being assaulted by their comrades or, more likely, their superiors. Often, the person they need to report the crime to IS THE PERPETRATOR. Can you imagine? These poor women interviewed in the film all wanted to kill themselves. Their choices were to report the crime to the perpetrator or his close buddies and risk punishment or further harm to themselves, go AWOL and lose all their military benefits for the rest of their lives, or commit suicide.
Those who do report, only estimated at 20% of the actual number of victims, received such terrible treatment that they say it is almost worse than the rape itself-- while the perpretrators go on to higher rank and most often experience no consequences at all. And of course go on to rape again and again, both in the military and outside. In fact, for those who are subject to some investigation and let go, they are trained to navigate the criminal system when they get out - so they can continue raping in their hometowns without being caught or prosecuted.
Meanwhile these women's lives are not just temporarily disrupted. Many reported permanent psychological and physical damage such as back or face injuries-- that the VA won't pay for!! Most are on gobs of medication for depression, PTSD, anxiety, and are often agoraphobic. Many can't hold jobs and end-up homeless. Their lives are pretty much fucked. We are talking about 19,000 victims (women and men) in 2010 alone, and over half a million victims in the last five decades. This is very serious.
The film will be released in June, and has already made some shock waves. The goal is to change how sexual assault is handled within the military, and things are starting to happen. Please see this press release on the film's website issued by the U.S. Department of Defense. It's not nearly enough. But it's a beginning.
Sign the petition to the U.S. House Of Representatives Committee on Veterans Affairs.
Kudos to Kirby and Amy for working on behalf of women to battle one of the largest, best-funded and secretive institutions in the world .
After the screening during the Q&A, a number of women in the audience spoke about having been raped in the military, and thanked co-directors Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering for shining light on this hidden subject. Through their live testimony and responses from Kirby and Amy, I learned some new things about why rape in the military can be even more traumatic than rape in the "civilian world." It's about betrayal. These women are broken down in bootcamp to become part of a close-knit team that depends on each other in truly life-or-death situations. They are stripped of their former identities and taught obedience to those of higher rank. They exit bootcamp so enthusiastic about their service to our country, and as such are also extremely vulnerable to serial sexual predators. Or, in military terms, these women are "high value targets."
Statistic: 15% of men in the military have attempted rape or assault prior to entering, double the percentage in the civilian world. And get this: sexual predators average 300 victims in their lifetimes if not caught.
So the military provides "the perfect storm" for rapists. Aggressive predatory dudes in a culture that not only tolerates but promotes sexual harassment, 15% who have already tried or succeeded at rape and gotten away with it, all stuck together in a world where naive, bright-eyed women (and men) are ready to obey all commands. These women are totally unprepared for being assaulted by their comrades or, more likely, their superiors. Often, the person they need to report the crime to IS THE PERPETRATOR. Can you imagine? These poor women interviewed in the film all wanted to kill themselves. Their choices were to report the crime to the perpetrator or his close buddies and risk punishment or further harm to themselves, go AWOL and lose all their military benefits for the rest of their lives, or commit suicide.
Those who do report, only estimated at 20% of the actual number of victims, received such terrible treatment that they say it is almost worse than the rape itself-- while the perpretrators go on to higher rank and most often experience no consequences at all. And of course go on to rape again and again, both in the military and outside. In fact, for those who are subject to some investigation and let go, they are trained to navigate the criminal system when they get out - so they can continue raping in their hometowns without being caught or prosecuted.
Meanwhile these women's lives are not just temporarily disrupted. Many reported permanent psychological and physical damage such as back or face injuries-- that the VA won't pay for!! Most are on gobs of medication for depression, PTSD, anxiety, and are often agoraphobic. Many can't hold jobs and end-up homeless. Their lives are pretty much fucked. We are talking about 19,000 victims (women and men) in 2010 alone, and over half a million victims in the last five decades. This is very serious.
The film will be released in June, and has already made some shock waves. The goal is to change how sexual assault is handled within the military, and things are starting to happen. Please see this press release on the film's website issued by the U.S. Department of Defense. It's not nearly enough. But it's a beginning.
Sign the petition to the U.S. House Of Representatives Committee on Veterans Affairs.
Kudos to Kirby and Amy for working on behalf of women to battle one of the largest, best-funded and secretive institutions in the world .
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