Sexual assault reports by cadets and midshipmen at military academies jumped by 32% during the last school year, according to USA Today.
The newspaper said the data is contained in a Pentagon report due for release on Thursday. It noted there were 122 reports of sexual assault during the 2018-19 school year, while 92 were recorded the previous year.
"We are encouraged that more cadets and midshipmen made reports of sexual assault this year," said Nate Galbreath, acting director of the Pentagon's Sexual Assault Prevention and Response program. "Our program empowers those who experience sexual assault to connect with restorative care."
The report is based on anonymous surveys of cadets and midshipmen at the Army, Air Force and Naval academies.
"Since rates were up dramatically in last year's survey, I don't see this as good news," said Don Christensen, president of Protect Our Defenders and the former chief prosecutor for the Air Force. "Rather, it's a reflection of a worsening problem.”
The report cites one unnamed male freshman at the U.S. Naval Academy, who informed officials that reporting sexual assault can polarize midshipmen.
He is quoted as saying: "That sticks with you the whole time you're here because, like I said, it's a small place and things spread fast."
Nearly 16% of women and 2% of men at the premier military colleges said they had been sexually assaulted in the 2019 survey, the newspaper noted.
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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