{ "id": "R44944", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "R", "number": "R44944", "active": true, "source": "CRSReports.Congress.gov, EveryCRSReport.com", "versions": [ { "source_dir": "crsreports.congress.gov", "title": "Military Sexual Assault: A Framework for Congressional Oversight ", "retrieved": "2021-04-04T04:04:07.047889", "id": "R44944_5_2021-02-26", "formats": [ { "filename": "files/2021-02-26_R44944_020cc8d3d9351ab55abbd042772374bb38ff9b96.pdf", "format": "PDF", "url": "https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R44944/5", "sha1": "020cc8d3d9351ab55abbd042772374bb38ff9b96" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/2021-02-26_R44944_020cc8d3d9351ab55abbd042772374bb38ff9b96.html" } ], "date": "2021-02-26", "summary": null, "source": "CRSReports.Congress.gov", "typeId": "R", "active": true, "sourceLink": "https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/details?prodcode=R44944", "type": "CRS Report" }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 586025, "date": "2017-09-12", "retrieved": "2020-01-02T14:06:39.443615", "title": "Military Sexual Assault: A Framework for Congressional Oversight ", "summary": "Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution gives Congress the power to raise and support armies; provide and maintain a navy and make rules for the governance of those forces. Under this authority, Congress determines military criminal law applicable to members of the Armed Forces. Congress has determined that sexual assault is a criminal act under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). As such, Congress has an interest in overseeing the implementation and enforcement of these laws in order to provide for the health, welfare, and good order of the Armed Forces.\nPrevention and response to sexual violence in the military is not a new concern, nor is sexual violence a problem confined to the military. While prevalence is difficult to estimate, some surveys suggest that up to 19.3% of women and 1.7% of men in the United States have been a victim of sexual assault at some point in their lives. There is a continued national dialogue with regard to sexual violence at universities and other government and private organizations. Sexual assault can have both deleterious physical and psychological effects on the victim and, when an assault occurs in or around the workplace, it can harm the working environment and function of the organization. In the military context, when an assault occurs it impairs the unit\u2019s ability to work effectively; it can have an impact on cohesion, stability, and ultimately, mission success. Thus, concern about sexual assault in the military stems from complementary imperatives: protecting the individual health and welfare of military servicemembers, and ensuring preparedness and effectiveness of military units.\nCongressional efforts to address military sexual assault, pursuant to its Constitutional authority, have intensified over the past two decades in response to rising public concern about incident rates and perceptions of a lack of adequate response by the military to support the victims and hold perpetrators accountable. Since 2004, Congress has enacted over 100 provisions intended to address some aspect of the problem as part of the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). In addition, DOD has devoted significant resources to the issue in terms of funds, personnel, and training time. Given the scope and complexity of this issue, it is helpful to apply a framework for analysis and oversight. This report provides such a framework to help congressional staff understand the legislative and policy landscape, link proposed policy solutions with potential impact metrics, and identify possible gaps that remain unaddressed. \nCongressional oversight and action on military sexual assault can be organized into four main categories: (1) Department of Defense (DOD) management and accountability, (2) prevention, (3) victim protection and support, and (4) military justice and investigations. The first category deals with actions to improve management, monitoring, and evaluation of DOD\u2019s efforts in sexual assault prevention and response. The second category includes efforts to reduce the number of sexual assaults through screening, training, and organizational culture. The third category focuses on DOD\u2019s response once an alleged assault has occurred, including actions to protect and support the victim. Finally, the last category addresses bringing perpetrators to justice through military investigative and judicial processes.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/R44944", "sha1": "18a02f4968ff94e6ba4a54b033395bde51f4722c", "filename": "files/20170912_R44944_18a02f4968ff94e6ba4a54b033395bde51f4722c.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R44944_files&id=/3.png": "files/20170912_R44944_images_c6a9aa26de44883d838029953e36685e1b72f79a.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R44944_files&id=/6.png": "files/20170912_R44944_images_41e5271e00ed7aaa31a54ace3b77defe5421bf6b.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R44944_files&id=/2.png": "files/20170912_R44944_images_5a834ddfde8c6b8dad618024db7135f968c3034b.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R44944_files&id=/5.png": "files/20170912_R44944_images_dc63aac0fefd20f2924fa6ec0c1608ffb3ea21c3.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R44944_files&id=/4.png": "files/20170912_R44944_images_60a84795b7de35d8ba4dd5f34b8503cfc1a23d66.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R44944_files&id=/0.png": "files/20170912_R44944_images_ece74eafc910ce91a9b756f550e713ca5eff9cae.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R44944_files&id=/1.png": "files/20170912_R44944_images_46d8d31b014d2443d63caec820bdcf90f79c3b23.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R44944", "sha1": "dbc2edaa83d08c28c12783261e0c25244dc387da", "filename": "files/20170912_R44944_dbc2edaa83d08c28c12783261e0c25244dc387da.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [] } ], "topics": [ "Domestic Social Policy", "Foreign Affairs", "Health Policy", "National Defense" ] }