FORT STEWART, Ga. - It is nearly impossible to watch TV or scroll through your social media feed for more than a few minutes and not hear about a sexual harassment or sexual assault case. Media coverage and societal awareness of sexual harassment and sexual assault have soared in recent months as a result of misconduct charges sweeping across media, entertainment and other industries.
In the Army, Soldiers and leaders spend a lot of time together during field exercises, combat training center rotations, deployments and temporary duty missions. The amount of time spent together can create a tight-knit unit, but it is important that each person is treated with dignity and respect. The tight-knit group mantra should not be a mechanism that allows inappropriate behavior to slowly build into a continuum of varying levels of sexual harassment and potentially sexual assault.
Each April, civilian and military communities observe Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month (SAAPM). SAAPM provides an opportunity to shine a light on a continuing problem, highlight available resources and develop/provide primary prevention initiatives.
The best way leaders and Soldiers can prevent sexual harassment and sexual assault is by encouraging a culture of intervention and prevention within their unit. A culture of intervention and prevention aids in unit readiness and builds trust amongst leaders and Soldiers; and can only be achieved when Leaders go beyond the quarterly and annual Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault Prevention training requirements for their units.
We see inappropriate behavior on TV, social media, and in public at bars and night clubs, but that does not mean it has to be, or should be, tolerated. It is vital that leaders and Soldiers speak up and say something immediately when there is sexual harassment happening in their ranks even if it seems like something small that may have been brushed off in the past.
Leaders and Soldiers need to model appropriate behavior, engage with their fellow Soldiers, and put a stop to inappropriate behavior, on and off duty. Treating people with respect is a 24-hours a day, 7-days a week responsibility.
Tolerating inappropriate behavior and sexual harassment creates division within a unit and degrades readiness. Accepting inappropriate behavior just because it may have occurred or been accepted in the past does not make it ok in the present. Allowing sexual harassment creates a hostile work environment and makes victims leery of coming forward.
Leaders should take advantage of counseling opportunities to engage with their Soldiers. When leaders conduct effective counseling, part of that counseling should be understanding the Soldier's life and the risk factors that are a part of their life.
Focused, engaged leadership, where leaders know their Soldiers and develop relationships with them creates awareness of potential high-risk behavior. Understanding and working to mitigate these high risk behaviors is a key element to preventing sexual harassment and assault.
Strong bonds and relationships in a unit make early intervention more likely and also make Soldiers less likely to engage in inappropriate behavior. It is important for Soldiers to know fellow Soldiers and leaders care about them. This builds trust in the unit and goes a long way in preventing sexual assault and sexual harassment.
The Army SHARP Program Office has piloted a perception program, Mind's Eye 2 (ME2), which combines multiple levels of prevention with leadership development, unit cohesion, Army Values, bystander intervention techniques, and cognitive/behavioral process learning. Mind's Eye 2 (ME2) training is discussion-based training through practical exercises rather than "death-by-PowerPoint." The ME2 pilot program has been conducted at Fort Stewart this year and a small amount of Soldiers assigned to 3rd Infantry Division have received Mind's Eye training.
Soldiers participating in ME2 as facilitators were chosen based on their level of influence on other Soldiers, regardless of rank. ME2 provides influencers with the skill sets needed to work with fellow Soldiers to identify, prevent, and eliminate problematic behaviors in a unit that degrade readiness. ME2 provides leaders at all levels with a foundation to engage in meaningful dialogue, to recognize and reflect on personal biases, and to develop the confidence needed to build climates of dignity and respect towards a strengthened Profession of Arms. Leader involvement in fostering a positive climate is essential and the program will not be effective otherwise.
ME2 functions as a unit-level program designed to influence positive outcomes through personal connection and relies heavily on Soldier connection to unit identity, trust, and judgment. The goal is to provide another tool for intervention and prevention by focusing on the identification of problematic behaviors, such as sexual harassment and sexual assault.
Another technique leaders can use to reinforce SHARP training is Hip Pocket Resiliency Training at the platoon and squad level. This training is discussion-based using SHARP-related examples to prepare for crisis situations. This valuable training provides the opportunity for all Soldiers to participate in discussions, and these open SHARP discussions allow Soldiers to feel comfortable bringing concerns forward.
It is important for Soldiers and leaders to know there are two ways to report a sexual assault: Restricted or Unrestricted.
A Restricted Report is when a Victim of sexual assault wishes to confidentially report his/her assault to specified individuals, receive medical treatment, legal inquiries and counseling, WITHOUT triggering the official investigative process. Under this policy, Victims/Survivors may only report the assault to the Sexual Assault Response Coordinator (SARC), Victim Advocate (VA), Special Victim Counsel (SVC) or a Health Care Provider (HCP). (Includes communications to Chaplain, but does not constitute a Restricted Report.) Your CoC will NOT receive notification of your report under this option.
An Unrestricted Report is when a Victim of sexual assault wishes to receive medical treatment, legal inquiries and counseling, AND trigger an official investigation of the crime. In this case, a Victim will report the incident to the SHARP SARC, VA, Health Care Provider (HCP), law enforcement or CoC. Your CoC WILL receive notification under this report.
The Fort Stewart SHARP Hotline: 912-271-9958 and the DoD Safe Helpline: 877-995-5247 are both staffed 24/7. Call these numbers to report sexual assault or sexual harassment, and to ask specific or general questions. The Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield communities stand ready to support our units in eliminating sexual harassment and sexual assault.
Leaders who would like assistance in SHARP training from subject-matter experts at Fort Stewart or Hunter Army Airfield can reach out to Angela Pate, SHARP Program Manager, by e-mail angela.d.pate.civ@mail.mil. For resiliency training requests, please reach out to Marji Freeze, Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield Community Ready and Resilient Integrator, by phone (912) 435-9730 or e-mail marjorie.d.freeze.civ@mail.mil.
Note: written by Marji Freeze, Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield ready and resilient integrator, and Angela Pate, 3rd Infantry Division SHARP program manager
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