Monday, August 5, 2013

Female Service Member Slams Air Force's Victim-Blaming Sexual Assault Poster


http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/08/05/2411511/victim-blaming-air-force-poster/

Article Photo“Pay attention to your surroundings.” “Be prepared to get yourself home.” “Socialize with people who share your values.” These are just some of the suggestions for women listed on an anti-sexual assault advisory poster in the female bathroom of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, under the header “Preventing Sexual Assault Is Everyone’s Duty”:
Jennifer Stephens, an armed forces veteran and battalion commander in the Ohio National Guard who works on the base, took issue with what she felt was a harmful message conveyed in the poster. “I think this is part of the reason victims are afraid to report incidents,” she said in an interview with Business Insider. “If you’re a victim and you’ve done one of the things on that list, you now feel like it’s your fault that you were sexually assaulted.”
Stephens decided to make her objections known. After pasting a letter criticizing the victim-blaming messaging on top of the poster, she emailed suggestions to the base’s sexual assault response office. Stephens wrote that a more productive approach would be one that “support[s] victims as opposed to tearing victims down by plastering these types of posters all over the base,” and asked, “[H]ow you would feel if you had been assaulted… and one of the first questions they asked you was what you were wearing or if you were alone or if you were drunk?”
they are more interested in watering down the ability to report assault and the "LEGITIMACY" of the assault opting to scrutinize the victim instead of prosecuting the perpetrator, that only serves as incentive to those so inclined to violate women, to do so with impunity.
Recent evidence in other sectors of the other armed forces suggests that the most successful anti-sexual assault efforts are actually the ones that focus on potential assailants rather than potential victims. Incidences of sexual assault at the Great Lakes Naval Station in Illinois plummeted by 60 percent after just two years of experimental reforms to its rape awareness and prevention programs — now, the base encourages male service members to self-police by monitoring their and their friends’ alcohol intake and calling out inappropriate behavior. 
this is not serious, this is more of the same, except putting the responsibility on other service persons instead of the brass giving them a pass, i think it could work cause i choose to believe there are more who care then careless, but still that is shifting responsibility and ultimately blame.
i went through boot camp at Great "cold ass" Lakes, these guys are from their environments and not having the skills to deal with others and they are expected to snitch. there was much racial attitude when i was there don't know about now. i entered with comp. 55 graduated with co. 96, for ua smoking and primarily fighting where i was from Whites did not talk to me like they did and i made it known, 
one company like all the others i was the only Black 1965 yeah, there was also a Puerto Rican, the CC made him RPOC recruit petty ofc. in charge and me master at arms we were to keep control over 50 guys not from areas where that was even a nightmare, but we made it work i calmed down and graduated. it can happen but i didn't have to snitch and again these guys are mostly young and right off the block 1965 2013 don't know if the only difference is the inclusion of women.