Paper Example. Recommendations for Action

There is a need to consider sexual harassment a distinct military crime and viable to be sanctioned independently, that is, regarding it as a separate punitive article for sexual harassment within the military system (Kimerling et al., 2010). Initiating the Catch a Serial Offender program is meant to enable the sexual survivors and victims to make a special restricted report regarding their experience and anonymously submit claims to assist in the identification of the notorious and frequent sexual offenders. This particular program will give the victims a reliable platform to consider altering restricted reports to be unrestricted and start active involvement in the military justice system to hold the perpetrators accountable.

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Provision for relatively more training and equipment to the junior military with the leadership position ranks, for instance, those with ranks of E-4 to E-6 on how to deal with the issues of various forms of sexual assaults and harassment within the military camps since such officers tend to work closely with the younger and newly enlisted members of the Service.

We are establishing a module to recorded vengeance proclamations and results linked to sexual harassment and assault reports. Moreover, enhancing an effortless connection with the DEERS (Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System) to facilitate the capability of timely, accurate, and reliable data reporting, documentation, and management.

Initiation of an effective website solution to offer awareness and approaches to deal with the emerging problem regarding sexual harassment and assaults with the military. The website needs to provide a practical system that enhances prevention and response. Additionally, it needs to provide a solution aiming at enhancing the knowledge of the Service member’s reporting alternatives and available intervention strategies.

Enhancement of the use of the various public health approaches. This specific policy tends to emphasize the proactive determination of gaps and challenges regarding the Department of Defense, including the issue of sexual assaults and cooperate with the Service to find a solution to the existing problems. Additionally, there is a need to update military assaults’ prevention, avoidance, and response policies and schemes for the members of the Service.

SWOT Analysis for Policy Brief on Aiding Those of Military Sexual Assaults

There are several opportunities that this particular policy initiative would felicitate. Some of which include the following:

Opportunities

The local agency that carried out surveys and pilot on the issues of military sexual assaults for the Servicemembers tended to have indicated an interest in working closely with the Department of Defense training section to incorporate the course into the pre-service and progressing operations within the military camps.

There are various donors and grant that are likely to provide to enhance the training of the service members at the leadership positions on how to address the problem of military sexual assaults and is interested in extending the same to the health facilities offering services to the survivors and victims of military sexual assaults.

Strengths

There is a dedication by the leadership within the military service and the government to enhance response to military sexual assault

A relative number of devoted Service members have accomplished training on the issues of addressing involving such problems such as sexual harassments

Pilot military sexual assault response training tools and systems exist and have been practically applied with Service membership recruitment

Weaknesses

Limited training of Service members who are in the leadership positions such as E-4 to E-6 and staffing within the DOD(Department of Defense) and the issue regarding the sexual harassment is likely to prevent personnel from attending all the training sessions

Lack of efficient reporting and data recording systems for military sexual assaults within the military camps; thus making it relatively challenging to put some of the already existing policies into practice

High turnover of sexual harassment cases within the military system

Threats

Sexual assaults against most of the Servicemembers is regarded as a social norm and normal way of survival by the military leadership, who may not be willing to support to prevent the occurrences of the same actively

The legislation on military sexual assaults and harassments does not actually specify response measures to be taken by the military justice systems and leadership; therefore challenging the efforts to execute a standard response

Some of the government budget cuts may indicate that the program will not actually receive enough funding to initiate the project as stipulated within the policy

Potential and Challenges of this Policy Brief

This specific policy will act as a way of spreading effective and favorable practices within the military camps. Additionally, the program may serve to act as the foundation of various policies across the nation regarding the issues on DOD. The program has the potential to:

Holding sexual assaults offender responsible for their crime since this would be critical to recommendable discipline and order

Make all the leadership accountable for facilitating and fostering an inclusive environment within the military camps and the entire Department of Defense, which is free of any form of harassment and does not tolerate vengeance for repeating sexual assault allegations.

Strengthen prevention and avoidance of any form of sexual assaults and other problematic conducts at all levels within DOD, thus seeking a lasting solution to the issue. This includes collaborative initiatives with other stakeholders such as the Defense Suicide Prevention Office, Service representatives, and Advocacy Program to execute the Military Sexual Assault Prevention Plan of Action.

Ensure that several incidents of sexual assaults that weaken trust within the ranks, compromise unit cohesion is never tolerated or assumed.

However, some of the challenges included:

There is the curiosity of knowing what is taking place within the DOD, but most of the Servicemembers are afraid to speak about their level of vulnerability.

Most of the victims of sexual assaults in the military are not reporting due to various reasons, such as fear or embarrassment.

Less distinction exists between the Service members with a leadership position in the E-4 level and the newly listed service members, therefore building fear to accomplish the mission or report such vices as sexual assaults. The fear may be in terms of promotion and assignment to favorable jobs or even interdiction.

Policy Recommendations

The Department of Defense and Congress need to emphasize their efforts on the prevention of military sexual assaults by supporting some of the effective and relevant policies.

A new training should be introduced to be able to spread all the professional military education, including how to address the issues of sexual harassment effectively. The refresher course needs to focus on the effects of Military sexual assaults (MSA), prevention, and determinations of relevant supports and sufficient resources available for the victims (Suris & Lind, 2008).

The military sex offenders who have been convicted should be distinguished from the military service. Additionally, anyone who has committed the felony of sexual harassment or assault should never join the military.

There should be an advancement in data collection and reporting protocol on issues linked to sexual assaults investigation. Again, select sexual investigative units to be created to provide the required resources for the victims. Moreover, program to be initiated to offer free services for physical and mental conditions linked to military sexual trauma.

Provide psycho-education on sexual assaults and focus that the assault is never consensual. Health care providers need also underscore that, even if the MSA victims encounter some sexual arousal during the assault, which does not imply willing participation by the victim (Street & Stafford, 2004).

The military to take disciplinary or legal actions against sexual offenders, and they need to be wholly separated from the military service.

Finally, Congress needs to take many legislative actions via the National Defense Authorization Act to effectively support and enhance the response to the military sexual assaults.

References

Kimerling, R., Street, A. E., Pavao, J., Smith, M. W., Cronkite, R. C., Holmes, T. H., & Frayne, S. M. (2010). Military-related sexual trauma among Veterans Health Administration patients returning from Afghanistan and Iraq. American journal of public health, 100(8), 1409-1412.

Street, A., & Stafford, J. (2004). IX. Military sexual trauma: Issues in caring for veterans.

Suris, A., & Lind, L. (2008). Military sexual trauma: A review of prevalence and associated health consequences in veterans. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 9(4), 250-269.

Turchik, J. A., & Wilson, S. M. (2010). Sexual assault in the US military: A review of the literature and recommendations for the future. Aggression and violent behavior, 15(4), 267-277.