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Date: April 30, 2024 Tue
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Results for military academies
1 results foundAuthor: U.S. Department of Defense Title: Annual Report on Sexual Harassment and Violence at the Military Service Academies: Academic Program Year 2010–2011 Summary: Section 532 of Public Law Number 109-364, the John Warner National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007, requires an assessment at the Military Service Academies (MSA) during each Academic Program Year (APY). This assessment is to determine the effectiveness of the policies, training, and procedures of the academy with respect to sexual harassment and assault involving academy personnel. In APYs beginning in even-numbered years (e.g., APY 10-11), the Report is comprised of the Department’s assessment, statistical data on sexual assault, and results of focus groups of cadets and midshipmen conducted by the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC). The Department of Defense (DoD) Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office (SAPRO) and the Office of Diversity Management and Equal Opportunity (ODMEO) use this annual assessment as an oversight tool to monitor improvement of the Department’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) and Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) Programs. To that end, the assessment of the SAPR and POSH Programs was organized by the priorities established in the DoD-wide SAPR Strategic Plan approved in December 2009. For APY 10-11, the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point is overall partially in compliance with the Department’s policies regarding sexual harassment and assault. Actions undertaken by USMA will ensure compliance with Department Policy for sexual harassment and assault, as well as enhance the program. USMA will ensure all cadets and Sexual Assault Response Coordinators are trained in accordance with the Department’s policies; reporting options are clear and in line with Policy; and provide effective oversight of the SAPR and POSH Programs. USMA did demonstrate one commendable practice that should be considered for replication by other MSAs. The Department will reassess USMA before the next Report to Congress in order to document improvement in the program. Overall, the United States Naval Academy (USNA) is in compliance with the Department’s policies regarding sexual harassment and assault for APY 10-11. USNA put considerable time and effort into the Sexual Harassment and Assault Prevention and Education training program to prevent sexual harassment and assault. Additionally, USNA has a well-organized SAPR staff to train midshipmen and support victims. However, there are areas for improvement to USNA’s program and initiatives pertaining to training effectiveness. Additionally, USNA demonstrated four commendable practices that should be considered for replication by other MSAs. The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is in compliance with the Department’s policies regarding sexual harassment and assault for APY 10-11. USAFA’s SAPR and POSH Programs are mature and robust. These programs were taken seriously and given the appropriate attention at the Academy. USAFA has implemented innovative and unique ideas to draw awareness to this issue and provided support to victims. However, there are areas for continued improvement of USAFA’s program. Additionally, USAFA demonstrated nine commendable practices that should be considered for replication by other MSAs. One of the Department’s strategic priorities is to build a climate of confidence that brings more victims forward to report sexual assault and to obtain needed support and services. During APY 10-11, there were a total of 65 reports of sexual assault; 38 Unrestricted Reports and 27 Restricted Reports. Initially, the MSAs received a total of 37 Restricted Reports, but 10 converted to Unrestricted Reports at the victims’ request. The 65 reports represent an increase from the 41 reports made in APY 09-10. The Department does not have the ability to conclusively identify the reasons for this increase in reporting behavior. However, in prior years’ assessments, the Department identified steps the academies could take to encourage more victims to report. Some of the increased reporting of sexual assault may be attributed to these efforts as well as many other factors. DMDC conducted focus groups at all three MSAs in the Spring of APY 10-11 covering topics such as sexual assault, sexual harassment, reporting, leadership response, training, and bystander intervention. Although focus group results are not able to be generalized to all students at each of the MSAs, the themes serve as illustrations of situations and attitudes for consideration in the assessment of the SAPR and POSH Programs. The academies should analyze focus group responses to improve SAPR and POSH Programs. Areas include reasons for not reporting a sexual assault, training improvements and the issue of sexual assault victim collateral misconduct. The MSAs did not complete all the recommendations from the APY 08-09 Report. The academies must implement the remaining 18 recommendations from the APY 08-09 Report, and the necessary actions items put forth in the APY 10-11 Report in a timely manner. Additionally, the academies will provide an update on implementation before the end of the APY. The Department will follow up with the academies every 6 months thereafter to ensure all actions are completed. While a number of challenges remain, the Department believes the greatest of these pertain to the prevention and reporting of sexual assault. Using survey and focus group data, the Department encourages the academies to employ their considerable academic and programmatic resources to implement meaningful, evidence-based prevention and reporting interventions. In addition, identifying and tracking key measurements over time will be critical to demonstrate to stakeholders the efforts underway at the MSAs. Preventing sexual harassment and assault at the MSAs, as well as in all aspects of military service, remains a top priority for the Department. The APY 10-11 report demonstrates some progress towards that goal. However, more can be done in the prevention of and response to sexual misconduct. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Defense, 2011. 126p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 10, 2012 at: http://www.sapr.mil/media/pdf/reports/FINAL_APY_10-11_MSA_Report.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: http://www.sapr.mil/media/pdf/reports/FINAL_APY_10-11_MSA_Report.pdf Shelf Number: 123555 Keywords: Military AcademiesSexual AssaultSexual HarassmentVictims of Crimes |