Month: August 2012

One sex attack reported by Armed Forces every week… but real figure could be much higher

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One rape or sexual assault is reported by members of the Armed Forces every week. The MP who released the figures believes they could be a huge underestimate, with the true figures closer to an attack a day.

One rape or sexual assault is reported by members of the Armed Forces every week.

The MP who released the figures believes they could be a huge underestimate, with the true figures closer to an attack a day.

Over the past two and a half years, there have been 53 reported rapes and 86 reported sexual assaults in the Army, the Navy and the Air Force.

Labour MP Madeleine Moon, who received the figures in a parliamentary question, said she was concerned there was a ‘culture of silence’, with hundreds of victims never reporting attacks.

Only nine rape cases and 45 sexual assault complaints have ended in conviction.

The figures only include reports made to the Armed Forces’ service police departments, meaning the cases are perpetrated by servicemen and women on their compatriots.

The Ministry of Defence could not say how many victims were male and how many were female.

Madeleine Moon, MP for Bridgend, said she was concerned there was a ‘culture of silence’, with hundreds of victims never reporting attacks

Mrs Moon said she looked into the issue after reading that the US Department of Defense estimates that only 13.5 per cent of assault victims in the Armed Forces report the attack.… Read more

Olympic Medals for the Military

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The involvement of the armed forces in the Olympics should not pave the way for military solutions to other civil situations.

The last minute military boost to Olympic security allowed the Armed Forces to be seen as a normal and average part of a relaxed and self-confident British society. The Chiefs should bottle that spirit for the difficult years to come, and politicians should realise that this was a one-off service.

The public has awarded the military a gold medal for its performance at the Olympics. If it were possible to get one with oak cluster, they would have added that as well. The headline writers have agreed with them. The military added another element to the ‘happy and glorious’ games that was efficient, friendly, humorous and awfully British; as characteristic of the inventive Britain we presented as Mr Bean, Jerusalem and a monarch who likes practical jokes.

Before the event, the German media spoke with alarm at the idea of military personnel in such evidence at the games. French commentators smiled with satisfaction at a British government scrambling to save the situation late in the day. US politicians and commentators overdosed on a potential security gap and British politicians and media went for G4S with a furious passion they had stoked against the banking industry and honed against highly paid industry executives.… Read more

Nobel laureates call for end to TV’s “Stars Earn Stripes”

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Nine Nobel Peace laureates, including retired South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, on Monday called on television network NBC to cancel its “Stars Earn Stripes” reality show, calling it a bid to “sanitize war by likening it to an athletic competition.”

 

Nine Nobel Peace laureates, including retired South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, on Monday called on television network NBC to cancel its “Stars Earn Stripes” reality show, calling it a bid to “sanitize war by likening it to an athletic competition.”

The competition show, due to air for the first time on Monday evening, puts eight celebrities such as singer Nick Lachey and politician Sarah Palin’s husband Todd, through military-style training, including helicopter drops and long-range weapons firing.

The celebrities are paired with former members of the U.S. Marines, Green Berets and other forces to compete for a cash prize that would go to a charity of their choice. Producers say the show, hosted by retired U.S. General Wesley Clark, will “pay homage to the men and women who serve in the U.S. armed forces.”

In an open letter to NBC Entertainment Chairman Bob Greenblatt, the Nobel Prize winners said that “preparing for war is neither amusing nor entertaining.”

“It is our belief that this program pays homage to no one anywhere and continues and expands on an inglorious tradition of glorifying war and armed violence.… Read more