Lawsuit Filed Against Federal DOD, VA To Release Records on Military Sexual Assaults

The lawsuit says sexual assault "pervades'' the military with tens of thousands of service members reporting some form of sexual assault, harassment or trauma in the past decade. The plaintiffs including Service Women's Action Network or SWAN say the public funds the military and deserves to know how often these incidents occur and what the government is doing about it. 

 

Taylor Asen is a Yale Law School intern representing the groups.  He says women in military service who are sexually assaulted can apply for benefits claiming non combat related post traumatic stress disorder. But Asen says this sets up a double standard. 

 

"Unless someone can testify that the rape occurred your word is not enough.

 If you're a male who has been in combat and has PTSD, under the new rules put forward by Secretary Shinseki you don't have to give corroborating evidence, your word is enough as long as you were in a combat area. So it's much easier for men who have been fighting to get money for PTSD than for severely disabled usually female veterans who are suffering from military sexual trauma."

 

In 2009, the Dept of Defense says there were more than 3200 reports of sexual assault involving service members, an eleven percent increase from 2008. The plaintiffs want more than numbers, asking the federal government to provide details on prosecutions, disability claims and sexual harassment complaints within the military. 

 

The departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs did not return calls seeking comment by deadline.