Current:Home > StocksMilitary service academies see drop in reported sexual assaults after alarming surge -WealthTrail Solutions
Military service academies see drop in reported sexual assaults after alarming surge
View
Date:2025-04-14 21:56:09
WASHINGTON (AP) — Reported sexual assaults at the U.S. military service academies dropped in 2024 for the second year in a row, according to new Pentagon data, marking a sharp turnaround from an alarming surge two years agothat triggered sweeping reviews and an overhaul in leadership.
The decline in reports was mirrored by a similar decrease in the total number of students who said in an anonymous survey that they experienced some type of unwanted sexual contact during the school year that ended in the spring.
Defense officials, however, warned on Thursday that the numbers are still high, and there is still a lot of work to be done.
According to the survey, which is done every other year, about 13% of female students said they experienced unwanted sexual contact in the 2024 school year, compared with more than 21% in 2022. For men, the rate decreased from 4.4% to 3.6%.
The reported assaults reflect familiar trends. Most of the alleged offenders are also academy students and are often known to the victim. They often happen after duty hours or on weekends and holidays. Drinking has long been a consistent factor.
Beth Foster, executive director of the Pentagon’s force resiliency office, called the new numbers encouraging. But she added, “the prevalence of sexual assault and harassment is still far too high. What this data tells us is that this is a difficult problem for all, but it is not an impossible problem to solve.”
A vast majority of students — 88% — responded to the survey. Defense officials said they are still concerned that, based on the survey, an estimated 783 students experienced unwanted sexual contact but just a small percentage reported it.
The U.S. military and defense leaders have pushed improvements in programs, leadership training and staffing to encourage more victims to report so they can receive help and perpetrators can be punished.
Defense officials released preliminary data much earlier than usual this year, and said the full report will go out in February. They said the early release was done to provide better information to school leaders who are implementing changes.
However, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will leave in January when President-elect Donald Trump takes office, and new leadership will take over the Pentagon. Trump and his pick to lead the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth, have vowed to eliminate “woke” policiesfostering diversity and equity, and it’s not clear how any of that may impact sexual assault prevention efforts.
Hegseth himself has been accused of sexual assault, which he denies, although he acknowledges making a settlement paymentto the woman.
Foster and others said Austin’s pressure on academy leaders to confront the problem led to a number of changes in how the schools foster better leaders and focus more stridently on sexual assault prevention.
The total number of reported sexual assaults at the academies is divided in an often complex and confusing way. Academy and defense officials focus on the number of assaults reported by cadets and midshipmen during their school year. But students sometimes file reports after they leave the academies, describing incidents that happened when they were in school.
The total is 106 for the 2024 school year, a sharp drop from 137 last year and 170 in 2022. The totals also decreased at each individual academy.
Students at the U.S. Naval Academy reported 47 assaults, a slight dip from 49 the previous year. The other two saw significant decreases: Students at the Air Force Academy in Colorado reported 34, compared with 45 last year, and those at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in New York reported 25, compared with 43.
In addition, eight students reported assaults last year that happened to them before they became students.
The military services and the academies have struggled for years to combat sexual assault and harassment, with myriad prevention, education and treatment programs. But despite reams of research, and expanded programs, the numbers have grown.
A renewed emphasis on it in the past several years has led to improvements and staff increases, although service members still complain that the videos and other programs are often outdated and don’t resonate as well with young troops.
Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
veryGood! (4863)
Related
- A Georgia governor’s latest work after politics: a children’s book on his cats ‘Veto’ and ‘Bill’
- ‘SNL’ skewers Jim Jordan's losing vote with Donald Trump, Lauren Boebert, George Santos
- More than $1 million in stolen dinosaur bones shipped to China, Justice officials say
- Pat McAfee hints he may not be part of ESPN's 'College GameDay' next year
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- Top Chinese diplomat to visit Washington ahead of possible meeting between Biden and Xi
- Drivers of Jeep, Kia plug-in hybrids take charging seriously. Here's why that matters.
- Zombie Hunter's unique murder defense: His mother created a monster
- Tropical weather brings record rainfall. Experts share how to stay safe in floods.
- JetBlue plane tilts back after landing at JFK Airport in New York but no injuries are reported
Ranking
- Beware of giant spiders: Thousands of tarantulas to emerge in 3 states for mating season
- See the Moment Paris Hilton Surprised Mom Kathy With Son Phoenix in Paris in Love Trailer
- Michigan State employee suspended after Hitler's image shown on videoboards before football game
- Missing non-verbal Florida woman found in neighbor's garage 6 days after disappearance
- NCAA hands former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh a 4-year show cause order for recruiting violations
- Why is F1 second to none when it comes to inclusivity? Allow 'Mr. Diversity' to explain.
- US Forest Service sued over flooding deaths in the wake of New Mexico’s largest recorded wildfire
- US Coast Guard continues search off Georgia coast for missing fishing vessel not seen in days
Recommendation
9/11 hearings at Guantanamo Bay in upheaval after surprise order by US defense chief
Vanderpump Rules' Lala Kent Reflects on Rock Bottom Moment While Celebrating 5 Years of Sobriety
Man charged with 83 counts of attempted murder after threat on Alaska Airlines flight
Mother files wrongful death lawsuit against now-closed Christian boarding school in Missouri
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear ready to campaign for Harris-Walz after losing out for spot on the ticket
DHS warns of spike in hate crimes as Israel-Hamas war intensifies
Pilots on a regional passenger jet say a 3rd person in the cockpit tried to shut down the engines
32 things we learned in NFL Week 7: Biggest stars put on a show