A new report finds that the number of sexual assault cases within the military during and after the global war on terror is likely two to four times higher than the U.S. Department of Defense estimates.
In 2021, there were more than 75,500 cases of sexual assault within the military, exceeding the Pentagon’s estimate of about 35,900 cases that year. according to the report by the Costs of War Project at Brown University’s Watson Institute.
Researchers estimate there will have been more than 73,600 cases in 2023, significantly higher than the DOD’s estimate of 29,000 that year.
During the war in Afghanistan, an average of 24% of active-duty female service members and 1.9% of active-duty male service members experienced sexual abuse, the report found. Racial minorities and LGBTQ+ service members are also at greater risk of sexual abuse.
The independent data review found that the number of cases, which is two to four times higher, may be on the conservative side. On the high side, estimates suggest that the number of cases of sexual abuse is ten times higher than the Defense Department figures.
Number of cases of sexual abuse by military personnel decreases, but trust among women remains low
“Despite efforts to address sexual violence, the priority given to force ‘readiness’ — the ability to train and deploy troops to Iraq and Afghanistan — above all else allowed the problem of sexual violence to fester,” the report said.
Over the past decade, the government has worked to combat sexual abuse through various task force recommendations, Department of Defense initiatives, and Congressional legislation, including the passage of the “I am Vanessa Guillén Act,” This removes the authority of commanders over sexual abuse cases and places it in the hands of independent prosecutors.
Sexual assault data in the early post-9/11 wars is less reliable than in later years, the report says, because the information was not systematically tracked until after the DOD Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office was established.
Prosecutions for sexual abuse officially outside the hierarchy
But independent reporting and data from other organizations that assist victims of sexual abuse indicate that such incidents have increased again since the invasion of Afghanistan, the report said.
Ministry of Defense last annual report Research into sexual abuse within the military showed a decrease in the prevalence of sexual abuse for the first time in nearly 10 years.
“We are cautiously optimistic that our work to address this problematic behavior is having the intended effect,” Elizabeth Foster, the executive director of the Office of Force Resiliency, said in May when that report was released. “But to see lasting change, we must sustain our efforts to implement the reforms and initiatives approved by the (defense secretary).”
The author of the Costs of War Project report noted that while it is difficult to definitively compare DOD data to independent studies, such initiatives provide an important counterbalance to government data.
