Reports of sexual assaults rise in the military
By Daniel Pulliam
[email protected]Sexual assault allegations by members of the military increased in 2004, and the Defense Department expects the number to continue rising as victims become more comfortable coming forward, according to a new report.
Reports of sexual assaults in 2004 totaled 1,700. That number includes reports of intentional sexual contact, characterized by force, physical threats and abuse of authority when the victim could not consent. Actions include rape, nonconsensual sodomy, indecent assault and attempts to commit these actions.
In 2004, there were 1,275 reports of sexual assaults in which the victims were military service members, up from 1,012 in 2003 and 901 in 2002. They fell into the following categories:
* Service member allegedly assaulting another service member: 880
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0505/050905p1.htm