The Army's Sexual Harassment/Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program or SHARP was established in 2006. Its main purpose is to prevent any type of inappropriate behavior associated with sexual intentions while on duty while providing soldiers with the information needed to safely report such violations. According to the Department of Defense's annual report on sexual assault, 20,500 service members across military branches were sexually assaulted in 2018. So why do these cases still occur in our army, despite all the training that is conducted? Sexual harassment doesn't just happen in the military, but across our nation. It is inevitable to stop it completely because it is humanly impossible to have a perfect organization where we all respect each other behind closed doors. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The root of sexual harassment stems from the fact that repeat offenders have a strong sense of entitlement and use their rank to commit acts of sexual violence. Unfortunately, a private individual doing his first duty could easily become a victim. An example would be that the platoon sergeant might suggest to the private that he could receive a waiver for a specialist if he were to spend the night at the platoon sergeant's home. And if he or she refuses, the platoon sergeant will advise that service member for whatever reason he or she sees fit. I believe the current approach to training to reduce the risk of sexual harassment in today's military is effective, but all in all it is up to the victim to report the perpetrator. According to the Washington Post, Air Force Colonel Ronald Jobo was accused of sexually harassing and assaulting his subordinates in 2015. He told her multiple times that he wanted to have sex with her, recorded his movements and sent her recordings of him masturbating in the shower, documents show. Air Force investigators gathered extensive evidence that the colonel had committed sexual abuse against the woman. But later, in March 2016, Lieutenant General John Thompson decides not to charge Jobo with abusive sexual contact or any other crime. The only punishment awaiting Jobo was forced retirement and demotion one rank. Unfortunately this happens much more than we think in all military branches. It is not possible to completely eradicate sexual violence in the military because we as human beings are naturally imperfect. We are not perfect, so the only way to address this situation is to adapt new ideas on how to reduce these crimes. I recommend that the service member filing the complaint be immediately moved from his unit to a temporary unit within the installation as a form of protection from retaliation. IAW AR 600-20 section 5-12, the Military Whistleblower Protection Act already states that soldiers are protected from retaliation, but what if the complaint directly involves the service member's company, 1st Sergeant? Sooner or later he or she will find out about the relationship and immediately make the victims' lives miserable. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay In conclusion, it is unfortunate that over the years, cases of sexual harassment and assault are actually increasing instead of decreasing. We cannot give up fighting to prevent these crimes from happening. By implementing new ideas into the SHARP program, we are more likely to get a lot of reporting.
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