U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. –
The Air Force Academy is committed to preventing, deterring and prosecuting sexual assault in its ranks.
Sexual assault is a crime and is unacceptable. It is incompatible with our core values, it is harmful to our people and it makes us less effective in the Air Force's mission. We cannot succeed in developing leaders of character if the scourge of sexual assault creeps into our ranks; so, we must all work together to be the first line of defense against it.
I would like to point out that the Air Force publishes all sexual assault convictions online at www.afjag.af.mil/sexualassaultprosecution/index.asp. Anyone can go online and review more than 100 cases from across the Air Force, to include filtering them by base.
Some may wonder why the Air Force would do this. Isn't this just "airing our dirty laundry?" Not at all. That Air Force commanders take this crime seriously and hold offenders accountable, and are made well known.
Airmen, civilian Airmen, cadets and cadet candidates should take note. You only need to read a few pages to understand the life-long impact this crime has on all involved. The Air Force, as a cross-section of society, is not immune to the challenges the public faces. In fact, a number of those cases involve Airmen assaulting fellow Airmen or, in our case here at the Air Force Academy, it's both Airmen assaulting fellow Airmen and cadets assaulting fellow cadets.
They were coworkers, friends and trusted people, maybe even more so because they were fellow Airmen or cadets. Someone's decision to cross that boundary involves a human cost and that human cost stays with both parties for the rest of their lives. The impact on the survivor can be extremely devastating.
I would also like to point out some of the myths surrounding sexual assault, as provided by our Air Force Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office.
Myth: sexual harassment is the same as sexual assault. The two terms are commonly mixed up. Sexual harassment is defined in Air Force Instruction 36-2706 as "Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitute sexual harassment when: submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual's employment; submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as the basis for employment decisions affecting such individual or such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual's work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive working environment."
Sexual assault includes acts that violate Article 120 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice and include criminal behavior such as rape, sexual assault, aggravated sexual contact and abusive sexual contact.
A simple way to look at the two types of behavior is that sexual assault typically requires some degree of actual or attempted physical contact, while sexual harassment does not.
Myth: rape is about having sex. Research has proven that rape is about power, control and domination. Rape is not about sex, though it is a violent crime expressed sexually. The victim has not "asked for it" and does not enjoy it. Rape is often a life-altering experience and can be a life-threatening experience. In some cases, it can severely traumatize the victim.
Myth: flirting and suggestive body language is enough consent. Consent, as defined by the UCMJ, is, "words or overt acts indicating a freely given agreement to the sexual conduct at issue by a competent person. An expression of lack of consent through words or conduct means there is no consent. Lack of verbal consent or physical resistance or submission resulting from the accused party's use of force, threat of force or planning another person in fear does not constitute consent. A current or previous dating relationship by itself or the manner of dress of the person involved with the accused in the sexual conduct at issue shall not constitute consent."
So, you can see by these myth-busting facts that sexual assault is not just rape by a violent stranger lurking in the bushes - it's typically with a known person, possibly culminating a continuum of behavior.
It is our collective responsibility to look out for these behaviors and stop sexual assault before it has the chance to happen. We need to take care of each other.
I encourage everyone to visit www.afjag.af.mil/sexualassaultprosecution and see what the Air Force is doing to hold sexual assault offenders accountable.
Read the case synopses; recognize these situations and behaviors that lead to them in your own or your fellow wingmen's lives and stop them before your name or their names end up on these pages.
Academy Airmen, civilian Airmen, cadets and cadet candidates take care of each other. When a member of our team is vulnerable, it isn't an opportunity to satisfy your own desires; it's an obligation to make sure they're safe.