Ok... we are back.
Thank you for joining us.
I'm Rich Feagler, and you are listening to DEOMI Talk Radio,
“Get the Answers”.
Today the topic is sexual assault and retaliation in the
military.
Recently in the media, sexual assaults have been coming up
quite often.
So, we have decided to bring in Mr. Shawn Seman to answer your
questions. He is the SAPR Senior Training and Development
Manager for the Defense Equal Opportunity Management
Institute.
Good morning Shawn.
Good Morning Rich, thank you for having me.
-Absolutely.
Listeners, as we open up our phone lines today,
here is something I want you to think about.
By now, we all must know sexual assaults are terrible and no one
should ever be sexually assaulted,
we know that.
However, there is one other aspect I would like to
talk about also today.
That is. how people who report a sexual assault
are treated afterwards.
Shawn, before you came in today; I did my own research and found
some interesting, yet unsettling information.
And that is, victimes of sexual assault, tend to often
be re-victimized afterwards.
Do you know anything about this?
I do.
And in my opinion, the DoD does an excellent job tracking this
information, to be transparent.
And, knowing this information, the DoD and each military agency
can create programs and policies to support their members through
recovery.
You know, this is a major issue in our armed forces.
And on that note, here is our first caller. Caller,
you’re on the air with “Get the Answers”.
Hi, uh, what are some common reasons why sexual assaults are
not reported?
In surveys across the DoD, Service members consistently
cite fear of retaliation from the perpetrator or the
perpetrator’s friends, or state they have concerns about their
careers, as reasons for not reporting.
Okay, next caller, you’re on the air with
DEOMI’s SAPR Program Manager.
Hello, I was sexually assaulted around two years ago and I never
reported it.
I felt like it was partially my fault and did not want the other
person to get in trouble for what happened.
My question is, what can people do to make sure others don’t
think like I did back then?
That’s a great question.
Let me begin by saying... you are not alone.
What happened to you was not your fault!
And if you ever need to talk to someone about your situation
today, tomorrow or in the future,
please do so.
Let me give you a phone number.
It is 1-877-995-5247.
This confidential number is the DoD Safe Helpline.
Please call them or go online to safehelpline.org and talk to
them about your situation.
As far as your question though, what others can do to make sure
they do not think as you did back then: Leaders must be able
to lead, listen and be approachable with all of their
subordinates.
Moreover, if a leader does not receive any complaints from
their members, it should be a red flag.
Meaning leaders are not displaying the emotional
attributes needed for their subordinates to discuss their
concerns.
If you are a friend of someone who informs you they were
sexually assaulted, stay with them, and encourage them to
file either a restricted or an unrestricted report and talk to
someone trained to help them.
If you observe someone displaying any inappropriate
behavior, either sexual in nature or as retaliation,
safely intervene.
Put your peers in check after they do or say something
inappropriate, and stand up for each other when they need you
the most.
Okay, moving right along.
Next caller you’re on the air with “Get the Answers”.
What’s your question?
Yes, do men experience or face the same type of retaliation?
Good question. Shawn?
Unfortunately, there is a high occurrence when it comes to
retaliation.
And, moreover, men do face the same types of retaliation.
Alright, hello caller, you’re on the air with “Get The Answers”
I have a question.
In my experience, once a sexual assault is reported,
people act differently towards the assaulted and the accused.
What can be done to ensure they both are treated justly?
That’s a great question...
And you are correct, people don’t know how to treat someone
after they’ve been through a crisis or once accused of a
crime.
Unfortunately, in some instances, people do find out
who reported a sexual assault, or who is being
accused of a sexual assault.
If this happens, individuals may blame,
feel sorry for, or treat either other one of them differently
than before.
My best recommendation is to let the system work and treat each
person with dignity and respect.
Openly communicate, and allow them time to attend appointments
and seek the professional care and support from trained
individuals.
Alright, good answer.
Hello caller, you’re on the air.
Hello sir.
I just wanted to know if you guys could talk about the
different ways to report a sexual assault.
Sure.
Under the DoD SAPR Policy, Service members and their adult
military dependents have two reporting options:
Restricted and Unrestricted.
With Restricted Reporting, sexually assault victims can
report an assault to their Sexual Assault Response
Coordinator (SARC), their SAPR Victim Advocate (VA),
or their Healthcare Provider or Personnel.
None of these will trigger the investigation process.
With the Unrestricted Reporting option,
sexually assault victims can report a sexual assault the same
as a restricted report, plus, they can directly contact their
Law Enforcement agency or Military Criminal Investigative
Organization. Or their commander.
This option does trigger the investigative process.
Okay, we have time for one more call.
Caller you are on the air with “Get the Answers.”
Hello guys. Thanks for taking my call.
My question is, how can someone report retaliation without
jeopardizing their career?
I have heard of incidents when people thought they could trust
a process and the process turned on them and
they were later kicked out of the service.
It takes courage to report being sexual assaulted.
Especially an Unrestricted Report.
And courage to stick with the program.
Although not every report turns out the way the assaulted hopes,
they must always be treated with dignity and respect.
Furthermore, when a victim works with their victim advocate,
their advocate should be the first to know if their situation
changes and the advocate has been trained to inform the
proper agencies to immediately correct any,
and all, inappropriate behaviors.
Okay, that was our last question.
Thanks to all of you for calling in today.
Hey Shawn, I gotta tell ya, I now realize I am not as informed
as I thought I was about these issues.
The listeners asked some great questions today.
They did, and thank you for having me today.
No problem.
Shawn, what can you share with the audience as a take away from
this segment?
Leaders... be available and supportive.
When someone comes to you and tells you they were sexually
assaulted, or they have been accused of a sexual assault,
let the process work.
Remain neutral, allow and assist them in getting support whether
its medical, legal, spiritual or family support.
And remember this: The investigation process is
thorough and may take some time. Try and be patient. When peers
behave inappropriately, put them in check.
Let them know what they are doing is wrong.
And why it is wrong.
Do what you can to safely get someone away from an
uncomfortable situation.
And finally,
just please report inappropriate behaviors including sexual
assault or retaliation.
Okay, our thanks to thank Mr. Shawn Seman,
the SAPR Senior Training and Development Manager for the
Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute.
I’m Rich Feagler and this has been “Get the Answers”
on DEOMI Talk Radio.