Military Personnel: Prior GAO Work on DOD's Actions to Prevent and Respond to Sexual Assault in the Military

Abstract

Following a series of high-profile sexual assault cases involving servicemembers, in 2004 Congress directed the Secretary of Defense to develop a comprehensive policy for the Department of Defense (DoD) on the prevention of, and response to, sexual assaults involving servicemembers. Among other things, the legislation required DoD to establish a standardized department-wide definition of sexual assault and procedures for confidentially reporting sexual assault incidents. DoD established the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) program in 2005 to promote prevention, encourage increased reporting of the crime, and improve response capabilities for victims. You asked us the following: (1) How are cases of acute sexual assault reported, documented, and investigated, when victims are treated at a military treatment facility (MTF)?; (2) What training is provided to health care professionals working in MTFs on the treatment of victims of sexual assault?; (3) How do MTFs provide acute treatment and care to victims of sexual assault, including forensic medical-legal exams and mental health counseling, as well as preventative treatment for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), sexually transmitted diseases, and pregnancy?; and (4) What types of long-term services, support, and follow-up, including mental health services, do MTFs provide to victims of sexual assault? This briefing includes information on the following topics from our body of work, which correspond with the questions asked in the request letter: DoD's approach for reporting, documenting, and investigating alleged sexual assault incidents; DoD training of servicemembers related to sexual assault; DoD care and treatment provided to victims of sexual assault, including mental health counseling and medical care.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 30, 2012
Accession Number
ADA559411

Entities

People

  • Ashley R. Dixon
  • Bonnie Anderson
  • Brenda S. Farrell
  • David E. Moser
  • Erin Henderson
  • Helen Desaulniers
  • Jennie F. Apter
  • Natalie Herzog
  • Randall B. Williamson
  • Wesley A. Johnson

Organizations

  • United States Government Accountability Office

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Congress
  • Crime
  • Criminals
  • Department Of Defense
  • Governments
  • Health Care
  • Health Services
  • Law
  • Medical Personnel
  • Mental Health
  • Mental Health Services
  • Military Facilities
  • Military Personnel
  • National Security
  • Public Health
  • Sexual Assault
  • United States Government

Fields of Study

  • Medicine
  • Psychology

Readers

  • Criminal Law
  • Medical or Health Care Field.
  • Organizational Psychology.