U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) introduced bipartisan legislation on Thursday that would build on recent reforms to better protect survivors of military sexual abuse from retaliation.
Ernst and U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO), both members of the House Armed Service Committee, introduced the Military Retaliation Prevention Act, S. 2870, to address high rates of military survivors of sexual assault who report experiencing retaliation after coming forward
“I strongly believe there should be no tolerance for sexual assault and abuse of any kind in the military, which is why I’m proud the Military Retaliation Prevention Act takes concerted efforts to improve military response and empower these tenacious survivors to report the attack,” Ernst said. “We must work to change the culture surrounding sexual assault in the military, and make clear that any retaliation against a sexual assault survivor is unacceptable. Combating and preventing sexual assault in the military is a bipartisan issue, and we absolutely must provide the support and care these brave survivors deserve.”
The bill would make retaliation a distinct offense under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, and it would require the Pentagon to collect and publish data on retaliation complaints and notify victims of how their retaliation complaints were decided.
“Sexual predators thrive when victims are too scared to come forward — and while we’ve taken big steps to get more survivors out of the shadows and empowered, a fear of retaliation in the military remains one of our most stubborn obstacles,” McCaskill, a former prosecutor of sex crimes, said. “This bipartisan bill represents our next step in our shared, sustained effort to stamp out these heinous crimes.”
The bill would also require investigators to undergo specific training to investigate complaints and would establish metrics for measuring outcomes of efforts to prevent and respond to retaliation.