Assault & Harassment in the Military

We’re working to expand opportunities for female service members and to better prevent and detect sexual harassment and assault.

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Legal Briefs & Testimony | Letter to Senate Committee Supporting the Military Justice Improvement Act

June 07, 2013

In a letter to the Senate Committee on Armed Services regarding the Military Justice Improvement Act, S. 967, NWLC indicated strong support of the Military Justice Improvement Act, S. 967, bipartisan, bicameral legislation that would remove from the chain of command the prosecution and other key decision-making in military cases involving crimes punishable by confinement of one year or more, except crimes that are uniquely military, such as disobeying orders.

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Fact Sheet | Give Military Women the Health Care Coverage They Deserve

May 17, 2012

Under current law, women in the military who are survivors of rape and incest are denied coverage for abortion care.  This coverage is less than the coverage provided to other women who rely on the federal government for health insurance.  Military women sacrifice for our country every day -- we should not thank them by giving them less health care coverage than their civilian counterparts.  The ban on health care coverage for abortion care in case of rape and incest should be lifted immediately.

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Fact Sheet | Eliminating Sexual Assault Should Be a Top Priority of the Department of Defense

December 15, 2008

Despite the attention given to the issue in recent years, the sexual assault of military women is an ongoing, serious problem within our armed forces. Sexual assault is a grave criminal offense with detrimental effects on readiness, and preventing it should be an urgent priority of the Department of Defense.

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Reports & Toolkits | Sexual Harassment of Women in the Military

October 30, 2002

Following the widely publicized Tailhook incident, in which 26 women reported being sexually assaulted at a September 1991 gathering of Navy aviators, sexual harassment of military women has received significant attention. However, the problem of widespread sexual harassment in the military was not new, either to women in uniform of to Pentagon officials responsible for addressing it. This paper describes the extent of sexual harassment in the Armed Forces, and suggests reasons behind the problem, including laws restricting assignability of women and an inadequate system for redressing sexual harassment complaints. It also proposes reforms to reduce this form of sex discrimination in the military.

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