USAFE initiates new sexual assault response guidelines

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Elizabeth Culbertson
  • USAFE News Service
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany (USAFENS) --  New guidelines for restricted reporting of sexual assaults went into effect in U.S. Air Forces in Europe June 14.

Under the new policy, active-duty or active-reserve status Airmen who are victims of a sexual assault may report the assault to specified individuals without automatically initiating an investigation or having their name, or the name of their assailant, reported up through their chain of command.

The aim of the new policy is to ensure victims receive medical care and victim advocacy regardless of whether they want to report the assault and start an investigation.

“Our first concern remains the health and well-being of the victim,” said Col. Mark Ediger, USAFE Surgeon General command surgeon. “We are committed to ensuring they receive medical care and support as soon as possible.”

Under the policy, sexual assault response coordinators, healthcare providers and SARC-appointed victim advocates may receive these restricted reports. Chaplains already possess confidentiality privilege.

The SARC is a new position intended to ensure effective sexual assault response and prevention efforts.

Installation SARCs are considered the center of gravity when it comes to ensuring that victims of sexual assault receive appropriate and responsive care, said Teresa Beasley, USAFE SARC. They will have oversight responsibility for the victim advocates, serve as chairperson of a case management group, track the dispositions of all military sexual assault cases for their designated area of responsibility, provide regular updates to the vice wing commander, and assist with training requirements.

Any report of a sexual assault made through normal reporting channels, including the victim’s chain of command, law enforcement and AFOSI, is still considered an unrestricted report.

“We want victims to know that the choice (whether or not to start an investigation) is theirs when they make a restricted report, and they don’t have to decide today,” she said. “The victim has plenty of time to make that decision; we just want to get them the help they deserve.”

A restricted report can be made unrestricted at any time; however, evidence collected will be disposed of after one year, Ms. Beasley said. Restricted reporting is intended to give a victim additional time and increased control over the release and management of his or her personal information. The additional time also gives the victim time to get more information and support to make an informed decision about participating in an investigation, she said.

“People who have been raped or sexually assaulted often feel so out of control and violated that they may not trust anyone,” she said. “A lot of people don’t feel ready to make the report right after it’s happened; it’s not a good time to make a decision when you’re that stressed.”

The reasons many individuals have given for not previously reporting sexual assaults, said Ms. Beasley, include fear of operational impacts or adverse impacts on unit mission accomplishment.

“There may be women deployed downrange, for example, who might not report because they don’t want to have to leave the area of responsibility and force someone else to deploy to take their place,” she said. “But (an assault) affects your whole being, it affects those around you, and it’s harder to do your job without help – it affects the mission.”

Another common reason victims don’t report assaults is fear of disciplinary action due to a victim’s own misconduct at the time of the incident, said Ms. Beasley. Known as collateral misconduct, this refers to, for example, a person who is underage drinking when a sexual assault occurs.

“Under the new policy, a victim can give a restricted report of the sexual assault incident without having the involved collateral misconduct reported,” she said. “The purpose of the policy is to remove the barriers that have been preventing victims from reporting, and one of the main ones has been fear of self-incrimination."

Another barrier for victims identified in the past has been shame and worry that others won’t believe the assault happened.

“If people don’t believe you, if there’s gossip in your unit, then you’re being traumatized all over again,” said Ms. Beasley. “Our goal is to create a community where we are saying ‘we believe you and we want to help you.’”

Within 24 hours of a restricted report of an alleged sexual assault, affected commanders will be informed of the incident without personal identifying information about the victim. This will allow commanders to assess the climate of their organization while maintaining the victim’s privacy.

“Information like general location and time of day can help commanders enhance their prevention and education efforts,” she said. “And awareness encourages them to look at their organization for potential contributing factors.”

Prevention is key to the new Air Force policy as well.

“We’re placing increased emphasis on risk management and making smart decisions — don’t have that final drink at the bar, stop and think before you act, and look out for one another,” she said.

Air Force core values, said Ms. Beasley, are really the heart of the policy.

“Integrity First, Service before Self, Excellence in All We Do … they’re all tied to respect,” she said. “We need to respect ourselves and our wingmen to be successful.”