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Commanders’ Guidance
As an Army leader, what can I do to help
prevent sexual assault in my unit?
Commanders have a
responsibility to establish a command climate where safety is
promoted, where soldiers and Army civilian employees are
educated on sexual assault risk reduction techniques, and where
soldiers and Army civilians feel free to report incidents.
Sexual assault is a crime that
is incompatible with Army Values and the Warrior Ethos. Sexual
assault directly and negatively impacts readiness across the
force. Take the following actions to help reduce the risk of
sexual assault in your unit:
Educate and train your unit
on sexual assault prevention.
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Educate soldiers and Army civilian employees
about the definition of sexual assault, the Army policy
regarding sexual assault, and prevention measures they can
take to reduce their risk of sexual assault.
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Conduct Consideration of Others training in
your unit to increase the unit’s understanding of the risks
of sexual assault and the steps they can take to reduce the
risk.
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Conduct unit refresher training on sexual
assault prevention in your unit. Soldiers will receive
sexual assault prevention training in Initial Entry
Training.
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Consider the risk of sexual assault and
conduct unit safety briefs during high-risk periods such as
holidays and deployments.
Monitor the command climate
to ensure that it is supportive of victims.
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Ensure that soldiers and Army civilian
employees feel comfortable in reporting sexual assault to
the chain of command. You can do this by communicating your
intention to protect and treat victims of sexual assault and
by making it clear that you will follow Army policy in fully
investigating all incidents of sexual assault.
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Communicate to soldiers and Army civilian
employees that you and your chain of command will provide
caring assistance to victims of sexual assault.
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Make sure soldiers and Army civilian
employees know that the chain of command will take
appropriate disciplinary action.
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Continually assess the command climate
regarding the risk of sexual assault in your unit.
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Demonstrate, through your words and actions,
that sexual assault is unacceptable and is incompatible with
Army Values and the Warrior Ethos.
Reducing the risk of
acquaintance or date rape in your unit:
“Acquaintance rape,” which
includes date rape, refers to those rapes that occur between two
or more people that know one another. “Date rape” refers to
situations in which the one person has consented to go on a date
with another person and that person then rapes him or her.
According to the Rape, Abuse &
Incest National Network (RAINN), about two-thirds of sexual
assault victims in the United States knew their assailants. To
help prevent acquaintance or date rape:
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Educate soldiers and Army civilian employees
on the importance of maintaining alertness by avoiding
alcohol and drug use.
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Encourage assertiveness and communication in
dating and other intimate situations.
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Educate soldiers and Army civilian employees
on the dangers of “date rape drugs.”
Deployed unit risk
reduction considerations:
Be especially prepared
and alert in deployed environments. Deployed environments can
present special risks for Army personnel:
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Sleeping areas (tents, bunkers, and other
buildings) may be less secure in deployed environments.
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Encourage soldiers to report any
unauthorized males or females in sleeping areas.
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Implement security measures around sleeping
areas, especially at night.
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Many non-Army personnel are present in
deployed unit and working areas. Encourage soldiers to be
alert and aware of their surroundings.
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Different cultures may treat females
differently than they are treated in the U.S. Encourage
soldiers and civilians, especially women, to be assertive
and clearly state if they feel uncomfortable with how
someone is treating them. Encourage them to report any
inappropriate behavior to you immediately.
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Minimize your soldiers’ risk by recommending
they travel with a buddy.
As an Army leader, what are
my responsibilities when a sexual assault occurs in my unit?
Army leaders play a key role
in the response to sexual assault in the Army. These leaders
include commanders, supervisors, law enforcement personnel,
legal and social services, and health-care personnel.
If you are in a position of
authority:
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Enforce the Army policy on sexual assault
and make sure subordinates enforce it, too.
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Treat each incident
seriously by following the proper guidelines. The
victim should never be blamed based on past history, nor
should it be assumed that the victim instigated the
incident.
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Inform each party of the Victim's Rights
under AR 27-10.
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Report the allegations to law enforcement
for a thorough investigation.
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Keep all information confidential and
disclose information only to those who have an official need
to know - it's the right of the accuser and the accused.
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Notify the chaplain if the victim wants
pastoral counseling or assistance.
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Ensure that the needs of the victim's family
are considered.
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Make sure victims are aware of the military
and civilian resources that are available to them under the
Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program.
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Encourage the victim to get a medical
examination, even if the incident occurred prior to the past
72 hours. It is important for the victim to seek medical
attention to assess possible injury, sexually transmitted
diseases, and pregnancy.
Your
first priority: care for the victim.
As a commander, you have a
responsibility to ensure that victims of sexual assault receive
sensitive care and support and are not re-victimized as a result
of reporting the incident. You have a range of command options
available to help you fulfill your responsibility to protect
sexual assault victims. As a commander, you should seek the
assistance of your servicing judge advocate.
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In order to protect sexual assault victims,
you have the option of geographically
separating the victim and the alleged offender.
Commanders should determine whether the victim wants to be
transferred to another unit. By considering the victim's
preferences and all relevant facts and circumstances of the
case, commanders can avoid subjecting the victim to the
"double victimization" that is sometimes perceived when a
victim is transferred from the unit.
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Military Protective
Orders (MPOs), DD Form 2873, referred to as "no
contact orders," are also an effective tool for commanders
to maintain the safety of the victim.
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Some Army sexual victims report being
hesitant to report sexual assaults when they feel they will
open themselves up for disciplinary action for related
offenses, such as drug or alcohol use, that are related to
the assault. As a commander, you have the
option to delay action on any victim
misconduct related to an assault until after the
investigation and prosecution for the assault is complete.
Unit commanders must
implement and support the Army's Sexual Assault Prevention and
Response Program. Commanders must:
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Report all disciplinary action taken against
soldiers involved in the assault by using form
DA
Form 4833, Commander's
Report of Disciplinary or Administrative Action.
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Report incidents of sexual assault to the
Criminal Investigation Division (CID) per AR 195-1,
paragraph 6.
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Support participation by soldiers and Army
civilians in sexual assault prevention and awareness
training.
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Continually assess the command climate
through various methods (e.g., focus groups, surveys,
talking with soldiers).
For more guidance, please
visit
www.sexualassault.army.mil.
Source:
www.sexualassault.army.mil. |
