COLLINS EXPRESSES OUTRAGE OVER SEXUAL ASSAULTS IN THE MILITARY

Washington, DC -- Senator Susan Collins spoke today during a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, of which she is a member, investigating how the military responds to charges of sexual assault among American military units that are serving overseas and what it is doing to prevent these crimes. This was the first time since several dozen servicewomen returning from Iraq and Kuwait revealed allegations of being sexually assaulted by fellow servicemen, that this issue was addressed on Capitol Hill.

"No war comes without cost, but the cost should be borne out of conflict with the enemy, and not because of egregious violations by our some of own troops," said Senator Collins. "What does it say about us as a people, as a nation, as the foremost military in the world, when our women soldiers sometimes have more to fear from some of their fellow soldiers than from the enemy? Why is there less public outrage when servicewomen suffer at the hands of their own servicemen than from the enemy?

"This cannot stand. We must support the women who wear this country's uniform."

The Pentagon has reported that over the past year, the military received 88 reports of sexual misconduct among troops in the Central Command region, which includes Iraq, Kuwait, and Afghanistan. 80 of the cases were from the Army, seven from the Air Force, and one from the Marines. The Navy revealed in the hearing today, that it has received 12 reports of sexual misconduct in the same region over the past year. The Pentagon has not given details of the individual cases, but said sexual assault may include rape, attempted rape, indecent assault, and sodomy. Sexual assault experts believe the number of incidents is far higher because these are underreported crimes.

Some servicewomen who have reported sexual assaults in Iraq, Kuwait, and Afghanistan also claim that the military failed to launch criminal investigations into their allegations, did not provide them with proper medical attention or counseling, and that male superiors retaliated against them after they accused a fellow serviceman of the assault.

"Women have served honorably in the U.S. military longer than we have had the right to vote. In Afghanistan and Iraq, women have served and risked their lives alongside their male counterparts, bravely defending freedom in distant lands," said Senator Collins. "It is a serious concern that sexual assault victims in the military often have a difficult time accessing the medical treatment and counseling services they need, particularly when they are serving in a war zone.

"We must ensure that counseling and medical treatment are made available to victims of sexual assault. We must ensure that justice is served, swift and certain for these criminals. And ultimately, prevention is the answer."