Highest Number of USAF Sexual Assault Reports in 14 Years

摘要

The number of sexual assault reports in the Air Force increased 9 percent in fiscal 2019 from the year before-the "great-estnumber of reports" received since the service's Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program launched 14 years ago. Overall, the military services saw a 3 percent increase in reports, with the Department of Defense receiving a total of 7,825 reports in 2019 compared to 7,623 reports in 2018, according to the 2019 Department of Defense Annual Report on Sexual Assault in the Military. The Air Force received a total of 1,683 total reports in 2019, including 1,161 unrestricted and 522 restricted reports. "The Air Force Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program continuously seeks to reduce sexual assault and increase victim reporting, thereby narrowing the gap between the prevalence rate and the number of incidences reported," John Fedrigo, the service's principal deputy assistant secretary for manpower and reserve affairs, wrote in the report. "While the latest prevalence survey [conducted in 2018]... showed that sexual assault increased from previous survey iterations, the Air Force remains confident that the increase in victim reporting between FY18 and FY19 demonstrates the positive impact of our Sexual Assault and Response Program."