svinthemilitarycoverOn Monday the National Sexual Violence Resource Center released their latest resource – “Sexual Violence in the Military: A Guide for Civilian Advocates.” The following press release explains the need for this new guide, and its potential usefulness:

Tracy Cox, Communications Director
tcox@nsvrc.org or 877-739-3895, Ext. 116
National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC)
PRESS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ENOLA, Pa. –  The National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) has developed Sexual Violence in the Military: A Guide for Civilian Advocates and an infographic that explain the pervasiveness of military sexual assault. Sexual violence transcends boundaries across the military and general populations. According to U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, nearly 26,000 (12,000 women and 14,000 men) serving in the U.S. military experienced some form of unwanted sexual contact in 2012.[1] According to the Department of Defense’s annual report, 3,374 sexual assaults were reported in the same time frame.[2]
“Culture change is essential for the military services to improve how they address sexual assault. I served as the Civilian Deputy Co-Chair of the Department of Defense Task Force on Sexual Assault in the Military Services. In 2009, I visited installations in Iraq, Kuwait, South Korea and Italy, and bases in Alaska,Texas and North Carolina and other continental U.S. installations to assess the response to sexual assault. We saw opportunities to cultivate change. As a result, the task force presented a report to Congress and made recommendations on how the military can improve services to victims of sexual assault in the armed forces and eliminate sexual violence,” said Delilah Rumburg, CEO of NSVRC and the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape.
The guide explores the prevalence, reporting processes and prevention methods. The infographic illustrates the impact through recent statistics. To download free copies, visithttp://www.nsvrc.org/publications/guides/sexual-violence-military-guide-civilian-advocates.
Founded by the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape in 2000, NSVRC identifies, develops and disseminates resources regarding all aspects of sexual violence prevention and intervention. For more, visit www.nsvrc.org,www.facebook.com/nsvrc and www.twitter.com/nsvrc.

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[1]U.S. Department of Defense. (2013). Department of Defense press briefing with Secretary Hagel and Maj. Gen. Patton on the Department of Defense Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Strategy from the Pentagon [Press release]. Retrieved from http://www.defense.gov/transcripts/transcript.aspx?transcriptid=5233
[2]U.S. Department of Defense (2013). Department of Defense Annual Report on Sexual Assault in the Military: Fiscal year 2012. Retrieved fromhttp://www.sapr.mil/public/docs/reports/FY12_DoD_SAPRO_Annual_Report_on_Sexual_Assault-VOLUME_ONE.pdf