In 2007, journalists Pacale Bourgaux and Mercedes Gallego investigated stories on rape in the US military. They made a documentary called “Rape in the Ranks: The Enemy Within” which focuses on four military women who had been raped. On October 26, they showed the film at the New York Independence Film Festival. One military woman committed suicide after being raped in Iraq. Another woman was raped twice during her time in the US Army and now she is a counselor for veterans who were raped. Another was raped multiple times by her squad leader when they were in Iraq. Last but not least, another woman was raped in an army base in the US. None of the rapists were persecuted. Although the film was only 29 minutes long, military rape, especially towards women, is high and should be addressed. There are bumper stickers available from Veterans for Peace that says “Warning: 1 in 3 women are Raped in the Military”. According to the 2008 Criminal Victimization report from the U.S. Department of Justice, one in six women have experienced an attempted or completed rape. The fact that there are more chances for a woman to get raped in the military is haunting. This shows the severity of the issue and that it should be addressed.
Source: Wright, Ann. “Rape in the Ranks: The Enemy Within.” Op Ed News, 27 October 2009. Web. 3 December 2009. < http://www.opednews.com/articles/Rape-in-the-Ranks- The-Ene-by-Ann-Wright-091027-923.html>
Student Researchers: Anna Kung, Shannon Cree, Delana Colvin
Faculty Instructor: Kevin Howley, Associate Professor of Media Studies, DePauw University
Evaluator: Christopher Bondy, Assistant Professor of Sociology, DePauw University