FORT RUCKER, Ala. (May 7, 2015) -- Few things are more essential than time when it comes to responding to and resolving cases of sexual assault and harassment.
According to Joni Martin, licensed certified social worker with the Fort Rucker Family Advocacy Program, quick response aids both legal and therapeutic efforts.
"Time is valuable, from a legal standpoint, because you want to collect as much evidence as possible," she said. "As time passes, the likelihood of gathering all the evidence diminishes."
Evidence is essential to any possible investigations and prosecution, which is why Martin advises Soldiers to seek assistance from their unit victim advocate as soon as possible.
"I love the fact that the victim advocates are embedded in the units and accessible to the Soldiers at all times," she said. "They know what to do and how to walk the Soldiers through the process of making a report. They can explain the options for the reporting the assault."
When filing a report, Soldiers may opt to make it restricted or unrestricted. Alleged offenders are unaware of restricted reports, but unrestricted reports create a path to criminal prosecution for the assault, she said.
"If they make the report restricted, they still receive all of the services they need," Martin said. "If the report is unrestricted, then they are also taken to (Criminal Investigation Command) to begin the legal investigation."
Martin said that no matter how the report is filed, Soldiers should always contact their unit victim advocate before they do anything else.
"It is beneficial to have someone there to walk them through the process," she said. "They should not bathe or get rid of any evidence at the crime scene. They should not get rid of their clothes. The more evidence that can be salvaged from the crime scene, the better the chance of prosecution. These are things victim advocates will advise."
Quick action aids possible criminal investigation, but it also creates a quicker path to recovery for Soldiers seeking help.
"Therapeutically, from my standpoint, time is also very important," Martin said. "When someone has a sexual trauma, they begin to think and believe things that aren't actually true. Like believing it must be their fault because they didn't fight, say 'no' or because they had too much to drink. The more time or distance between the assault and the time treatment starts to reverse some of that negative thinking, the more critical their thinking becomes.
The sooner therapy begins, the quicker victims will recover mentally and emotionally, according to Martin. Quick action lessens damage caused by negative thinking.
However, reports are often delayed due to a sense of embarrassment, she added.
"Assault isn't always straightforward," Martin said. "Many people think, if they weren't raped or if there was no penetration, then it isn't a sexual assault. But the category of sexual assault is expansive. Some things people think would be harassment are really assault. Anything that involves contact with a sex organ is sexual assault. It doesn't have to be rape.
"And a lot of times victims don't believe it was assault if they didn't fight or say 'no,'" she added. "They view themselves as a willing participant."
That viewpoint can lead victims to feel embarrassed and reluctant to seek help, according to Martin.
"I work with most of the sexual assault victims on post," she said. "Of all the people I am actively working with right now, only one of them actually said 'no' and fought back. Most of them go into a dissociative state."
According to Martin, victims often enter the dissociative state as a means of coping with the trauma.
After filing a report through their unit victim advocate, Soldiers have several services available to aid their physical, mental and emotional recovery.
"Besides the unit victim advocate, we also have a nurse practitioner at Lyster (Army Health Clinic) that does sexual assault exams and follows up with them after the initial assault," Martin said. "We have a nurse case manager that coordinates services for victims, ensuring they get in touch with everyone they need to receive proper medical and therapeutic care. We also have individual counseling available, as well as a sexual trauma treatment group for group therapy."
Martin added that the goal is to help Soldiers recover from trauma and educate them to ensure they don't become a victim again.
For more information about Fort Rucker's Sexual Harassment and Assault Response and Prevention Program, call 255-9897.
To report sexual assault or harassment, call 24-hour SHARP hotline at 470-6629.
Related Links:
USAACE and Fort Rucker on Twitter
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