Military Sex Assaults Up by 8 Percent in 2014

The number of sexual assaults reported by military service members has increased again.  This year military officials say the reports rose by 8 percent.  Last year, reports spiked by 50 percent.
    
A new anonymous survey by the Rand Corporation suggests that victims are becoming more willing to file complaints than in years past. 
    
This year, 6,000 victims reported assaults compared with just over 5,500 last year.
    
Military officials told a the Associated Press that about 1 in 4 victims filed a report this year in contrast to 2012 when only 1 in 10 came forward.
    
Two years ago, the Department of Defense conducted an anonymous survey which found that about 26,000 service members said they had been the victims of unwanted sexual contact.
    
In response, stunned officials and lawmakers launched a host of congressional hearings and legislative changes.
    
This year, the number dropped to 19,000, which officials believe means there's a decline in the number of sexual assaults.
    
Meanwhile, there's still great concern among officials and advocates around the issue of backlash. 

The latest survey shows that more than 60 percent of the women who report unwanted sexual contact also report retaliation.  Most describe social backlash from co-workers or other service members.
     
"For a year now we have heard how the reforms in the previous defense bill were going to protect victims and make retaliation a crime," Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., an advocate for sexual assault victims. said.  

"It should be a screaming red flag to everyone when 62 percent of those who say they reported a crime were retaliated against - nearly two-thirds - the exact same number as last year," she added.

Pentagon leaders and the White House have spurred the military services to begin programs to encourage reporting, provide better victim care and increase prosecutions.