Senator Patty Murray never stops fighting for veterans. Her office notes:
Senator Murray calls for “immediate action” in light of a disturbing Associated Press report
revealing massive failure at every level to support children of
servicemembers who were sexually assaulted by other children at military
installations and schools
Report documents 600 such assaults since 2007, including 37 cases in Washington state, which are likely a fraction of the total
In letter, Murray details alarming examples from the report, and demands an immediate explanation from the Department
Murray:
“As a mother and a grandmother, I cannot tolerate the thought that our
military children are not receiving the protection and support they
deserve”
(Washington, D.C.) –U.S.
Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) sent a letter to Secretary of Defense James
N. Mattis demanding answers and immediate intervention in light of an
Associated Press (AP) investigation that found a massive failure by the
Department of Defense (DoD) to address cases where children of
servicemembers were sexually assaulted by other children on military
installations and in Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA)
schools.
The AP report documented nearly 600 such cases since 2007—37 of which were on Washington state bases—as well as failures at every level of the Department’s response to survivor’s needs. The report includes many alarming examples and details and offers a glimpse at a DoDEA process for handling sexual assault that appears to be wildly ineffectual and inconsistent.
The AP report documented nearly 600 such cases since 2007—37 of which were on Washington state bases—as well as failures at every level of the Department’s response to survivor’s needs. The report includes many alarming examples and details and offers a glimpse at a DoDEA process for handling sexual assault that appears to be wildly ineffectual and inconsistent.
“I am deeply disturbed by a recent
Associated Press report that reveals a massive failure of U.S. military
and Department of Defense (DoD) officials to protect or provide justice
to the children of servicemembers when they are sexually assaulted by
other children on military installations and in Department of Defense
Education Activity (DoDEA) schools. I bring this issue to your attention
as I believe it requires your immediate intervention,” wrote Senator Murray. “As
a mother and a grandmother, I cannot tolerate the thought that our
military children are not receiving the protection and support they
deserve. I trust you share my outrage. Thank you for your long and
distinguished service to our country and for your dedication to our
servicemembers and their families. I will personally follow this issue
closely, and I look forward to working with you to address these
issues.”
Read the original report from Associated Press HERE.
Full letter below and a PDF can be found HERE:
March 15, 2018
The Honorable James Mattis
Secretary of Defense
1000 Defense Pentagon
Washington, DC 20301-1000
Dear Secretary Mattis:
I am deeply disturbed by a recent Associated Press report that
reveals a massive failure of U.S. military and Department of Defense
(DoD) officials to protect or provide justice to the children of
servicemembers when they are sexually assaulted by other children on
military installations and in Department of Defense Education Activity
(DoDEA) schools. I bring this issue to your attention as I believe it
requires your immediate intervention.
At the outset, the sheer number of potential sexual assaults
between minor children occurring in these installations and schools is
shocking. The Associated Press documented nearly 600 sexual assault
cases that have occurred on bases since 2007, which likely only
represent a fraction of the total crimes actually committed. Of this
unknown number of victims and families, it is unclear how many have been
properly informed by Department officials about their options to pursue
justice for the offenses committed against them or have been provided
the critical physical and mental health support needed to recover from
such devastating trauma. The report reveals an inscrutable system that
fails these children at every level: military investigators do little to
follow-up on reported assaults; federal prosecutors are loathe to
pursue juvenile sexual assault cases; and local authorities rarely have
the capacity to take on these cases. The fact that these cases cross
jurisdictions is not an excuse for inaction.
Perhaps most concerning, students are not protected within their
own schools. The report details that DoDEA has a strikingly limited and
inconsistent protocol in how it prevents and addresses sexual assault
occurring between students. In at least one case, a female student who
credibly alleged she was raped by another student, was required to
remain in school in proximity to her alleged assailant, and it remains
unclear whether any action at all was taken to assist the survivor. It
should be unacceptable to the Department that current policy and
practice permits survivors of rape to be forced to attempt to learn in
close physical proximity to their rapist. It is stunning to think that
such a situation would be allowed to persist, let alone occur in the
first instance.
DoDEA also appears to lack an organized record and classification
system that effectively tracks these assaults, as the current system
consistently fails to report or misreports statistics on sexual violence
in schools. As a threshold matter, we cannot as a nation, and the
Department of Defense cannot as an institution, hope to adequately
address the dire issue of sexual assault without having a basic system
in place for tracking instances of assault. The failure to adequately
address issues of sexual assault and misconduct in schools raises
further questions about whether DoDEA is meeting its legal and moral
obligation to prevent harassment and discrimination against students.
The AP report indicates that the Defense Department currently has
no systematic way to track these cases and has no clear picture of the
scope of this problem. This prompts the question: how many more cases
are out there? How many more children have suffered because of a lack of
prevention, inadequate support after the assault, and no recourse to
pursue justice?
At one point, the report includes a quote from your office that
identifies child-on-child sexual assault as an “emerging issue.” What is
“emerging” about 600 sexual assault cases in ten years? Justice for
these children should not depend on “luck and location,” as the article
states. We owe our military families – the children of the personnel who
are fighting our wars – safety and support.
In order to understand the efforts the Department of Defense is
taking to address these issues, please answer the following questions no
later than April 4:
- How many juveniles have experienced sexual violence or sexual misconduct on a military base in the last 10 years? Provide the date and location of each incident.
- How many cases involving sexual violence and sexual misconduct of juveniles on a military base have been referred to the Department of Justice in the last 10 years? Provide the date and location of each incident.
- How many cases involving sexual violence and sexual misconduct of juveniles on a military base have been referred to local law enforcement in the last 10 years? Provide the date and location of each incident.
- What programs and resources are available to children who are the victims of sexual assault in order to assist them and provide them care and treatment following an assault?
- What system does the Department of Defense currently have in place to track and analyze reports it receives of sexual violence among children and teens on military installations?
- What guidance and training is currently provided to military investigators who may be assigned to these cases?
- What system is currently in place to ensure these cases are appropriately referred to federal or local law enforcement?
- How many military investigators have received specific training about how to interview juveniles? Where are they based?
- What mechanism is in place to ensure that the victim and victim’s family are aware of their rights?
- How does DoDEA currently define and classify sexual harassment and sexual assault?
- What policies and procedures does DoDEA currently have in place to protect students who may be victims of sexual harassment, sexual violence, and sexual assault?
- What guidance does DoDEA provide to schools to ensure they comply with the requirements of Title IX standards?
- What system does DoDEA currently use to track instances of sexual misconduct or sexual assault across the entire school system?
- To whom does DoDEA report statistics about the incidents of sexual harassment and sexual violence?
As a mother and a grandmother, I cannot tolerate the thought that
our military children are not receiving the protection and support they
deserve. I trust you share my outrage. Thank you for your long and
distinguished service to our country and for your dedication to our
servicemembers and their families. I will personally follow this issue
closely, and I look forward to working with you to address these issues.
Sincerely,
Patty Murray
United States Senator
###
