UltraViolet: Senate Armed Services Committee Must Act to Protect Female Servicemembers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 14, 2017
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UltraViolet: Senate Armed Services Committee Must Act to Protect Female Servicemembers
Women’s Group Says US Military Leaders Are Unable and Unprepared to Address This Epidemic of Sexual Harassment
WASHINGTON DC — Earlier today, members of the US Marines, including Gen. Robert Neller, the Marine Corps commandant met with the Senate Armed Services Committee to discuss the ongoing marine photos scandal, wherein current and former members of the military have been sharing nude photos of their fellow service women online, and making lewd or threatening comments about the female servicemembers.
The hearing comes after hundreds of female Marines had nude photos of them shared online without their consent to secret Facebook groups – many of the photos were posted with threats against the women that included their names and current locations.
Shaunna Thomas, co-founder of UltraViolet, a national women’s advocacy group that has previously urged the Senate to revise the US military justice system to protect female soldiers from rape, sexual abuse and harassment, issued the following statement:
“This isn’t the first time that our military leaders have vowed to address and correct the problems of sexual assault and harassment that impact female service members in our armed forces. But nothing has been done.
“When women sign up for the Marine Corps and other branches of the Armed Services, they are risking their lives to serve our country – and in return they face betrayal and sexual harassment from their superiors and colleagues. The marine photo scandal is just the latest in an epidemic of sexual violence and harassment that our military leaders seem completely unable and unprepared to address in a real way.
“The Senate Armed Services Committee must act: They must hold the perpetrators of these vile acts accountable, and reform the military justice system in a way that holds leaders accountable for their crimes. Anything less is a disservice to our military, and the servicewomen who risk their lives everyday to keep us safe.”
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