GAO: Naval Academy leads in sexual assaults

Sex assault findings
CG Academy blasted for unclear record-keeping.


GAO: Naval Academy leads in sexual assaults
By Chris Amos and Philip Ewing - Staff writers
Posted : Monday Feb 25, 2008 6:39:15 EST

A congressional study found that the Naval Academy leads its sister service academies in the number of reported incidents of sexual harassment and assault but goes on to say that a lack of uniform reporting standards makes comparisons difficult to make.

“That could be misleading. It could lead to an unfair comparison,” said Brenda Farrell, director of the Government Accountability Office’s Defense Capabilities and Management office, citing different definitions and practices used by the service academies.

For instance, the report calls for the Defense Department to “clearly articulate data reporting requirements, to include common terminology” for each service academy and recommended that the department create “service-wide performance metrics for sexual harassment and assault programs,” and that the Coast Guard Academy follow the same reporting requirements.

Farrell said she was also concerned that a 2006 Defense Manpower Data Center study of 5,000 service academy students revealed that about 9 percent of women and 1 percent of men reported unwanted sexual contact in 2005, meaning roughly 300 students across the service academies reported being victims of sexual misconduct — a significantly larger number than were counted in the GAO report, which measured complaints made to law enforcement or rape counselors over a three-year period.

“Maybe the academies still don’t have full visibility over sexual harassment and assault,” she said. “Three hundred students experiencing unwanted conduct but (a much smaller number of reports to authorities) means there’s still a concern that there is underreporting.”


Rest of article at: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/02/navy_250208_sexassault/