The 2023 NDAA is the culmination of nearly a decade of work with advocates, survivors, and veteran groups.
It finally strips commanders of their remaining judicial and prosecutorial powers for MST offenses and gives them to trained professional military prosecutors. This will build more credibility.
Trained professional military prosecutors will handle cases involving:
- murder
- manslaughter
- rape
- sexual assault
- rape and sexual assault of a child
- other sexual misconduct
- kidnapping
- domestic violence
- stalking
- retaliation
- child pornography
- nonconsensual pornography
- death or injury of an unborn child
- mailing obscene matter
- sexual harassment
Why these victims in the “military family” did not report MST?
These were collected from Quora, Facebook, Blogs, and Forums. The truthfulness cannot be verified.
- I blamed myself. [This is the top reason]
- I was ashamed of myself.
- They took a video of my rape and said they would publish it on porn sites and social media. You could clearly see me, and it looks like I am enjoying it because they told me to smile and act as if I like it. Then they turned up the music and started the video. I was doing the dirty talk and asking for more. No way anyone would believe this was rape. It happened 10 years ago and I am still waiting for the day for someone to tell me they watched it on the internet.
- I had to protect my husband’s career because it was his CO. I could not tell him
- I was drunk when it happened. I thought it was my fault.
- I wanted to forget it ever happened.
- I was told it was my fault, and no one would believe me.
- I didn’t want to be dishonorably discharged.
- I was told it didn’t matter, nothing happened.
- My mind didn’t register the betrayal.
- I thought I would get in trouble.
- I slept around on board the ship and had a reputation for being a slut. I said no, he did not stop. He said everyone would testify against me.
- I was told I would be killed if I reported it.
- I wasn’t believed when I reported all the time someone had harassed me, and when it escalated to him putting his hands on me, I kept quiet.
- The rapist was my husband. The father of my kids. The breadwinner. I had nowhere to go.
- Very few report it. I am no one special, so why should I?
- I was told he would give me a higher rank for sexual favors so it was consensual. I was not promoted.
- It was my personality that caused this. I was naive, inexperienced, and gullible.
- Avoided remembering what happened to me.
- I was too ashamed to admit that it happened.
- Should not have gone to a bar full of drunk GIs to dance.
- It was a payback in the field. I lost control of my command and showed weakness.
- He was drunk, and I convinced myself he didn’t know what he was doing.
- The rapist was a relative.
- He threatened me daily at work as a “joke” about pushing me down the ladder to “help me get rid of” my baby. I was pregnant.
- He was my squad leader, and I was one of only 5 females in the company.
- I tried to kill myself right after it instead of reporting it and receiving an undesirable discharge.
- I was in denial
- Did not want to face the accusations of being gay
- I knew no one would believe me.
- Those whom I told said I was stupid for not fighting back, so I did not report it.
- I did not want to be looked at as less than who I am.
- I was afraid it would ruin my career, so I kept my mouth shut.
- I did not want anyone to tell me it was consensual because I was drunk or drugged.
- People threatened that I was not going to be allowed to ruin someone’s career.
- I didn’t want to believe it happened, and who did it to me?
- I am not a homosexual, but it happened, and I did not want to be called one.
- Authorities said a spouse can’t rape their wife in the military.
- I would be threatened at work with poor performance write-ups
- They told me to forget it because the rapist was in special forces and a valuable asset.
- The authorities said it would end my career.
- Rank has its privileges.
- Unexpectedly got shipped out the next day to another post, so I could not report it.
- I had multiple intense orgasms during the rape, and I did not want that to be his defense.
- I was a private, he was a captain. Who is going to believe me?
- It was consensual under the pretenses of marriage.
- My military BFF was raped, and the VA did nothing for her. Why would they help me after I was raped?
- An active duty victim cannot get help for PTSD because they get an undesirable discharge. They say you are not fit to serve.
- He threatened me daily at work as a “joke” about pushing me down the ladder to “help me get rid of” my baby. I had to protect the baby.
- I did not know who the rapist was at a replacement center. I saw him but could not identify him. Not sure he was even a Marine. I was processed and moved on.
- I was immediately shipped out, so I just wanted to forget.
- Thought it would be over, not knowing he made me pregnant. Now he is my baby’s daddy. It ended in a divorce. I cannot report anything.
- I expected to be raped when I joined. So I just relaxed and let it happen without him using force.
- It was my fault because of the way I dressed, I was drunk, I should not have gone, I was walking late at night, I got into his car, I stayed in the office after hours, I let my hair down and put on makeup in uniform on duty, I was dared to take my blouse off.
- “A man cannot be raped by a woman,” and there was no way my wife would have believed me. Her threat was to say I raped her.
- An MP picked me up for being drunk in public. He said to have sex with him or go to the brig. Afterward, he dumped me off behind the PX a mile from the barracks.