DOD opens Safe Helpline for sexual assault victims

News: DOD opens Safe Helpline for sexual assault victims

Story by Lance Cpl. Lia Adkins Follow This Journalist

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. - Service members are regularly given statistics – numbers that show deaths from motorcycle crashes, drug abuse, suicides, or even the number of Marines and sailors who were arrested for driving under the influence every year. One statistic that gets taken too lightly is the number of sexual assault victims in the military.

Data collected from Naval Criminal Investigative Services shows that 1.1 percent per every 1,000 people reported a sexual assault in the Marine Corps during fiscal year 2010. While it may sound like such a small percentage, there are nearly 203,000 Marines, which turns that 1.1 percent into nearly 2,233 reports.

A single company, for example Headquarters Company, averages 150 to 200 Marines. These numbers mean that in 2010, the number of Marines that reported sexual assault would be enough to create more than 14 companies, or nearly five battalions. The 1.1 percent does not look as small anymore. And these are only the reported incidents.
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DOD opens Safe Helpline for sexual assault victims