The most shameful and best-kept secret in the U.S. military is the epidemic of rape and sexual assault within the ranks. An American female soldier in a combat zone is more likely to be raped by a fellow soldier than killed by enemy fire. A culture of privilege and impunity has resulted in few prosecutions and the systematic isolation of women who dare to report the crimes. AAUW LAF is supporting some of the cases discussed in the Oscar nominated documentary.

See it on PBS May 13 or May 23 9-10:30 PM

Support Legislation that Helps Military Sexual Assault Survivors

On April 17, AAUW’s Director of Public Policy and Government Relations Lisa Maatz stood alongside Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA), representatives from other women’s organizations, and survivors of military rape to announce the reintroduction of the Sexual Assault Training Oversight and Prevention (STOP) Act (H.R. 1593). AAUW strongly supports this legislation, which would change how sexual assault is handled in the military by creating an independent body to investigate and prosecute sexual assault cases.

This legislation is backed by the plaintiffs AAUW supports from three class-action lawsuits against the military and by victims’ rights advocates, including Susan Burke, the plaintiffs’ legal counsel. Read more about the legislation on the AAUW blog and use AAUW’s Two-Minute Activist to ask your congressional representative to support it.