Indiana Accident News

House Considers Bill On Sexual Assault, Veterans, And PTSD

US Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, a Democrat from Maine, is working to make it easier for the victims of sexual assault who are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to secure veterans’ disability benefits. Currently, it is difficult for former military personnel to receive benefits after being raped while serving their country – even if they suffer from severe symptoms of PTSD.

The new bill would allow women or men who have been sexually assaulted or raped in the military to gain benefits without having to provide solid evidence of the event itself –events that often go unreported or unproven. Just like all other sufferers of post-traumatic stress, sexual assault victims would only have to be diagnosed with the disorder and a medical opinion connecting the condition to the person’s military service.

While the Defense Department reported that 3,230 instances of “unwanted sexual contact” took place in 1009, many believe that only about 20 percent of such cases ever get reported to authorities in the first place. Not only that, but those who report sexual assaults in the military have only a fraction of the protections, confidentiality, and resources that civilian women have. In addition, may could be sacrificing their career in order to report a sexual assault or rape, while others fear what their peers will think of them or how they will be treated.

All in all, about sixty percent of military women who are raped report symptoms of post-traumatic stress in connection with the event.

While the military has taken several steps to improve the system and support assault victims, many believe that they are not yet doing enough – and that they could easily do more, both before and after the assaults take place.

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