The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has been going on for more than a year, but the recent events in Crimea have brought this war to the attention of an international audience. This conflict raises complex
questions about sexual assault, victimization, and population movements.
The effects of trauma on survivors and their families are wide-ranging, with victims struggling with depression or guilt about surviving when
those around them did not. The conflicted nature of sexual assault in war raises many difficult questions for both those who have experienced it and the people trying to support them. As a nation, the U.S. has
struggled with sexual assault and rape on college campuses in recent years. In order to prevent this, many universities have worked to make their campuses safer for female students by adopting new policies and
trying to foster a more gender-equal environment — or at least it’s supposed to be gender-equal. But there are still far too many problems in the United States that need addressing; the most notable of these is our
justice system. While most of the attention in the media has been on sexual assault on campus, there is another segment of our population that is frequently sexually assaulted and rarely given attention.
These victims are military members who were stationed overseas. According to a study conducted by the United States Department of Defense, one in every four active-duty women has had unwanted sexual contact while
serving in the military, and 5% of all active-duty women have been raped. The issue of sexual assault within the military is not one that can be neglected. The topic is not to be discussed in the media in order to avoid
the negative connotations of rape, and victims are ridiculed when they come forward.
While survivors of sexual assault are often shunned by others and their families, there are still many people who lend their support, especially women. Those who support these women do so for a wide variety of reasons, but one
may be that they feel these women don’t get enough attention for what they go through.
Sexual assault on college campuses and in the military is a problem that has been around for many years. But not much has
been done to combat this issue since the country has more pressing problems at hand. Raising rape of men and boys is just one of these issues.