BREAKING: Rape and sexual assault reports increase by 18% at US military academies
The Associated Press obtained exclusive information about a not-yet published report on sexual assault victims at military academies in 2022.
A total of 155 students reported sexual assaults in 2022, and 35 civilians reported being victimized by military academy students.
Reports of sexual assault at US military academies have increased by 18% over the previous year, according to an exclusive report from the Associated Press (AP).
US officials provided details to AP of the non-yet-published official yearly report of sexual assaults at the US Military Academy at West Point (USMA) in New York, US Naval Academy (USNA) in Maryland, and the US Air Force Academy (USAFA) in Colorado.
A total of 155 students reported assaults, ranging from inappropriate touching to rape, during the 2021-2022 school year.
USNA reported 61 incidents of sexual assault, while USAFA and USMA reported 56 and 42, respectively.
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On top of this, 35 cases involving civilian victims and student-alleged perpetrators were also reported during the 2022 school year. This is up from 4 civilian victims recorded in the 2020-2021 Annual Report on Sexual Harassment and Violence at Military Academies formal study.
Over one in five female students in military academies reported experiencing “unwanted sexual contact” in 2022, according to an anonymous survey conducted in conjunction with the formal report as published by the AP. This is up from 16% in 2018 when the last anonymous survey was performed.
4.4% of male students in 2022 also self-reported being victims of sexual assault.
Alcohol was involved in over half of the documented cases of sexual assault at military academies, says the AP, which has been a perennial problem.
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The 2020-2021 report addresses the social norms surrounding alcohol consumption and identifies the need to “reduce alcohol misuse” as a key component of sexual assault prevention.
The USMA is the only institution that reported completing a training program on “alcohol abuse and [sexual assault] prevention education” for cadets, according to the 2020-2021 report.
Reports of sexual assault on college campuses generally are not uncommon.
13% of graduate and undergraduate students report sexual assault or rape during their post-secondary education, and students are most at risk during the fall semester of their freshman or sophomore years, according to the Rape, Assault, and Incest National Network (RAINN).
“Among undergraduate students, 26.4% of females and 6.8% of males experience rape or sexual assault through physical force, violence, or incapacitation,” according to RAIN.
A media press release from the Pentagon states that the full report will be released at 12:00 PM Eastern Friday on the Department of Defense website.
Campus Reform has contacted the Department of Defense for comment. This is a breaking story and will be updated accordingly.
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