ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. - Although the Department of Defense's Sexual Assault Prevention and Response program is a fairly new program - established in 2005 to improve prevention of sexual assault and enhance support to victims - the Florida National Guard has taken steps to highlight this program and the services it offers to Soldiers and Airmen.
"Sexual assault is a serious crime; one that has no place in the Florida National Guard," said Maj. Gen. Douglas Burnett, Adjutant General of Florida. "It is important that our Soldiers and Airmen know where to go for assistance and steps to take to prevent an assault from occurring."
"The state has been very supportive of the program and the leadership has been actively engaged," said Army Capt. Jennifer Hunt, the state's full-time Sexual Assault Response Coordinator (SARC).
Hunt's job is to provide training to units, leaders and victim advocates throughout the Florida National Guard and to coordinate resources and notification when a sexual assault takes place. Victim advocates work with the SARC to assist and accompany a victim throughout the assistance process. The Florida National Guard has a goal to have one victim advocate for every unit in the state.
"I see myself as a facilitator of care," said Hunt.
Hunt said sexual assault is one of the most underreported crimes. Because of this, sometimes statistics can be misleading and many people may not be aware of the scope of the problem. April is sexual assault awareness month and throughout the military, leaders are working to bring awareness to this issue.
"Sexual assault is a topic that many people are uncomfortable discussing and unless you are a victim or are close to someone who has been a victim, you don't often think about the crime or what can be done to prevent it," said Hunt.
To make Soldiers more aware of the realities concerning sexual assault, Florida Guardsmen receive sexual assault training annually focusing on awareness and prevention of sexual assault, what it is, and ways that bystanders, Soldiers, Airman or Civilians can help to prevent it.
The way the Florida National Guard defines sexual assault leaves no room for interpretation. Some people may be unaware of the extent of the actions that constitute sexual assault.
"Sexual assault affects our ability to work together as a team and it affects our individual and unit readiness," said Brig. Gen. Michael Fleming, the assistant adjutant general for the Florida Army Guard.
"Sexual assault" is defined as intentional sexual contact, characterized by use of force, threats, intimidation, abuse of authority or when the victim does not or cannot consent. Sexual assault includes rape, forcible sodomy and other unwanted sexual contact that is aggravated, abusive or wrongful (to include unwanted and inappropriate sexual contact) or attempts to commit these acts.
"Consent" means words or overt acts indicating a freely given agreement to the sexual conduct at issue by a competent person. An expression of lack of consent through words or conduct means there is no consent. Lack of verbal or physical resistance or submission resulting from the accused use of force, threat of force, or placing another person in fear does not constitute consent. Also, the manner of dress of the person involved with the accused in the sexual conduct at issues shall not constitute consent.
Hunt said this applies to people who are unable to give consent because they are intoxicated or unconscious. Alcohol is a significant risk factor which contributes to sexual assault. According to a 2004 Army report on sexual assault policies, more than half of sexual assault cases involve alcohol use.
Confidential support and services are available to Florida Guardsmen and technicians, regardless of their status, in three different categories - restricted reporting, unrestricted reporting and limited reporting.
"We must have and sustain a culture where victims are never afraid to step forward and report a crime," said Brig. Gen. Joe Balskus, the Assistant Adjutant General for the Florida Air National Guard. "We have a tremendous system in place to assist victims. Reprisals for reporting sexual assaults are not tolerated and every report will be taken seriously and investigated to the fullest extent."
A restricted report can be made where the victim is not required to file a report with law enforcement to seek prosecution of the perpetrator. The victim will receive confidential services and senior members of the chain of command will only be notified that an assault took place, but not given any identifiable information about the victim. To make a restricted report, the victim must only notify a Sexual Assault Response Coordinator, Victim Advocate, Medical Representative or Chaplain.
For an unrestricted report, the victim can notify anyone that the sexual assault has taken place. The victim will receive support and assistance and the SARC will ensure that information surrounding the case is provided on a need-to-know basis only. The National Guard also offers limited reporting for technicians or Soldiers who are off-duty when an assault takes place. The limited reporting option provides victims with a confidential referral system to facilitate assistance through outside agencies.
"I want Soldiers to understand that there is a reporting process in place that doesn't initiate an investigation," said Hunt. "Although it is important that the perpetrators are prosecuted, our biggest concern is the needs of the victim."
Whether restricted or unrestricted, it is important to seek assistance as soon as possible after an assault takes place. According to Stefanie Lincoln, director of psychological health for the Florida National Guard, often victims use coping strategies as barriers to block out the feelings they have directly after an assault. Many victims don't seek assistance until months down the road when they've reached a "breaking point."
"Problems like these always get worse, they don't just go away," said Lincoln. "It's best to address a small problem before it becomes a huge problem."