DoD Task Force Report on
Care for Victims of Sexual Assault

The DoD Task Force on Care for Victims of Sexual Assault was convened to review how sexual assault is dealt with in the military and to make recommendations for improving the care of sexual assault victims. It has just released the report of its findings. Below are a summary of the recommendations and some brief excerpts from the report that represent a sample of the findings. The full text of the report can be found at DoD Task Force Report on Care for Victims of Sexual Assault, April 2004 (pdf 1,639KB).

Summarized Recommendations:

• Establish a single point of accountability for addressing sexual assault matters
• Discuss leadership responsibilities at May Combatant Commanders Conference
• Fill gaps in sexual assault information through DoD-wide communication outlets
• Convene a summit to develop a strategic course of action on critical and unresolved issues
• Develop DoD policies for prevention, reporting, response, and accountability
• Establish an Armed Forces Sexual Assault Advisory Council
• Establish DoD-wide victim advocates program, including deployed environment
• Establish uniform guidelines for commanders to use in responding to incidents of sexual assault
• Provide manpower and fiscal resources to implement required policies and standards
• Develop an integrated strategy for sexual assault data collection
• Establish program evaluation, quality improvement, and oversight mechanisms

Brief Excerpts from the Report:

The excerpts below were chosen by H4H Team as a sample of the DoD Task Force findings.

• "… sexual assault risk factors in the military do not appear to be significantly different from those reported in civilian literature… Currently, these identified risks are not being systematically communicated to military members as part of any prevention education efforts that are either directly or indirectly related to sexual assault."
• "Existing policies and programs aimed at preventing sexual assault are inconsistent and incomplete, principally because there is no Defense-wide policy requiring them… All services have robust programs aimed at prevention of sexual harassment that tangentially discuss sexual assault."
• "Generally, junior enlisted personnel are not aware of the full range of reporting options available to them."
• "The perceived lack of privacy and confidentiality within the Department of Defense is thought by many to be one of the most significant barriers to reporting by military sexual assault victims."

The Army Hotline for Victims of Assault:

You can access Army One Source:

• Online at www.armyonesource.com (userid: army; password: onesource)
• By phone at the following numbers:
  1-800-342-9647 (CONUS)
  800-3429-6477 (OCONUS)
  484-530-5908 (OCONUS collect)
  1-877-888-0727 (Spanish)
  1-800-346-9188 (TTY/TDD)
  

For more information see:
Army Develops Policy to Address Acts of Sexual Assault

Source: Department of Defense Task Force Report on Care for Victims of Sexual Assault