[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 62 (Thursday, April 29, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E708]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 INTRODUCTION OF THE DEFENSE STRONG ACT

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                           HON. NIKI TSONGAS

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 29, 2010

  Ms. TSONGAS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Defense 
Sexual Trauma Response, Oversight and Good Governance Act (The Defense 
STRONG Act).
  Sexual assault in the military has reached epidemic levels. While 1 
in 6 women will experience sexual assault in her lifetime, the numbers 
are much higher in the military, where as many as 1 in 3 women leaving 
the services report that they were sexually assaulted. By the 
Pentagon's own estimate, as few as 10 percent of sexual assaults are 
reported. Additionally, while 40 percent of sexual assault allegations 
in the civilian world are prosecuted, this number is a staggeringly low 
8 percent in the military.
  As a strong advocate for women in the military and a strong advocate 
for equal opportunity in the workplace, I believe that the military 
should be a place where women are supported and can succeed.
  We ask women who serve in the military to put their lives on the line 
for our country, and they shouldn't fear or experience harm from their 
fellow service members. A recent New York Times article chronicled the 
experience of a female Captain deployed in Camp Taji, Iraq.
  This young Captain stated that she stopped drinking water after 7 
p.m. so she would not have to go to the latrine at night alone, out of 
fear of attack from a fellow male soldier. ``It got to the point that I 
felt safer outside the wire,'' she said, referring to operations that 
take soldiers off of their heavily fortified bases, ``than I did taking 
a shower.''
  While the military has made strides to address this problem, victims 
of sexual assault in the military still report a lack of 
confidentiality, protection and support, and lack access to advice and 
counsel from a military lawyer once an incident is reported. The 
military has not established the proper infrastructure to deal with 
sexual assaults. Sexual Assault Response Coordinators and Victim 
Advocates in the military receive very little training and have little 
experience dealing with sexual assault. The DOD allows contractors to 
serve in these positions part-time, making them ill-equipped to deal 
with incidents that arise. As the 2009 Defense Task Force Report on 
Sexual Assault in the Military Services reported, one military victim 
advocate explained, ``I would truly be unprepared if a sexual assault 
were to occur and my services were needed.'' . . . She said, ``It is my 
opinion that active duty Unit Victim Advocates are not prepared to deal 
with sexual assaults and could potentially deter individuals from 
coming forward.''
  Women report receiving inadequate support and experiencing backlash 
when they tried to seek care while they were in the services. A GAO 
report from 2008 stated that ``many individuals do not come forward in 
the military out of fear of punishment because they have done something 
(i.e., drinking) that they could also get in trouble for.'' The same 
report concluded that victims were reluctant to report attacks due to 
the belief that nothing would be done, they would not be believed, or 
that reporting an incident would negatively impact their careers.
  The systems in place to prevent and respond to sexual assault lack 
sophistication, and the culture around sexual assault in the military 
needs to be fundamentally changed.
  This is why I am introducing the Defense STRONG Act. My bill 
strengthens the legal protections for victims of sexual assault in the 
military:
  (1) It requires that they have access to a military lawyer, and can 
maintain their right to confidential reporting even if they receive 
legal counsel;
  (2) It ensures that conversations between victims and Victim 
Advocates are confidential and immune from discovery by military 
lawyers if the case goes to court.
  My bill also strengthens the systems in place to prevent sexual 
assaults and provide support and guidance for victims that do report an 
incident:
  (1) It standardizes the training of service members, Commanders, 
Victim Advocates, and Sexual Assault Response Coordinators;
  (2) It requires that service members are trained around sexual 
assault prevention and response as they move up in the military 
structure; and
  (3) It requires Victim Advocates and Sexual Assault Response 
Coordinators to be full-time positions, and prohibits DOD contractors 
from fulfilling roles.
  Sexual assault weakens the readiness and morale of the military, and 
erodes trust between service members. The Defense STRONG Act 
strengthens the sexual assault prevention and response program in the 
military services, strengthening the military as a whole.

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