The Hidden Casualties of War

It's unbelievable how many military wives are being abused and some even killed when their husbands come home from war. The violence in the U.S. against women and children are staggering enough but now the numbers are rising for women being beaten, raped and murdered by their military husbands and boyfriends. If you are a victim of domestic violence of any kind please check out the resources at the end of the following story. WE HAVE TO STOP THIS MADNESS!!!!!!!


The Hidden Casualties Of War
NEW YORK, Jan. 28, 2009
(CBS) The Army is cracking down on sexual abuse in the ranks. One-third of service-women and 6 percent of servicemen say they've been victims. This week, the army said it will hire more prosecutors to bring perpetrators to justice. Meanwhile, critics say the military needs to do more about another crime women, being assaulted, beaten, even raped by their military husbands or boyfriends. A CBS News investigation finds more than 25,000 spouses and domestic partners have been attacked over the past decade. Nearly 90 spouses have died. The numbers are growing.
It can be as deadly as combat: Domestic violence in the U.S. military. Nineteen-year-old Spc. Brandon Bare is accused of killing his own wife. Jessacia Patton is a survivor. "I had bruising on my head, cuts under my eyes and lips and my whole body was like a big bruise," Patton told CBS News anchor Katie Couric. When Spc. Lenny McIntire returned to Fort Lewis, Wash., his wife says he was a changed man. After his second tour of duty in Iraq with the Army Rangers, she says he wasn't sleeping and he was filled with anger - especially when his infant daughter would cry. "Any noise that she made just bothered him," Patton said. "He said it reminded him too much of Iraq and the kids that he shot and the screaming - he couldn't take it, being around it." That anger turned to violence. He pleaded guilty to child abuse after beating three-month old Bella. Then, a few months later in a drunken rage, threatening her with a gun, he attacked and raped his wife. "I probably laid there for about an hour and just cried," she said. "I had given up. I didn't care if he came in and killed me, I mean, I was broken." McIntire was jailed, but for only one night, given extra duty and ordered to sleep in the barracks. Patton sought help from the chaplain, the Ranger Battalion as well as McIntire's commanding officers - but found no answers. Couric asked her: "What do you think is the major flaw in the way the U.S. military - at least in your experience - deals with domestic violence?" "When a soldier beats his wife, the wife falls through the crack," she said. "They make it very impossible to get through the system and get anything done." It wasn't until Lenny McIntire threatened his fellow soldiers and went AWOL that the Army decided to press charges. Three weeks ago, he was sentenced to seven years in a military prison. CBS News spoke to several military family advocates who say the system is broken, under-funded and under-staffed. One former advocate did not want to be identified for fear of retribution. "I think the Pentagon needs to step in and start a better training program for their commanders," the former advocate said. Lynn McCollum is the Army director of Family Affairs. Couric asked her: "According to conversations with a number of victims' advocates, the Army usually rallies around the soldiers and leaves the victim to fend for herself. And then when she finally does get help, the complaint is the system is entirely stacked against her." "It's disturbing to hear those kinds of comments. Over the last couple of years, we've really put into place and increased the number of victim advocates," McCollum said. "One of our biggest challenges, because we're a large bureaucracy, is getting information out." It's not only the victims that aren't getting help, it's also the soldiers. CBS News has learned that in case after case, soldiers returning from Iraq or Afghanistan have raised red flags regarding their mental health problems. But they're often ignored - with devastating consequences. In a post-deployment health assessment obtained by CBS News, one soldier clearly indicates concerns "for potential conflict with his spouse or family members" and that he might "hurt or lose control with someone." But nothing was done. A year later, he killed his wife. "How can this happen? He put it right there on the questionnaire, and nobody did anything about it. How can that happen if you have all these systems and services in place?" Couric asked. McCollum didn't answer immediately, instead, getting up to confer with colleagues for an answer. After discussing the incident with her colleagues, McCollum returned to answer the question. "Obviously, I think in this situation, a mistake probably was made," McCollum said. Then there is the case of Sgt. James Pitts. Thursday, in an exclusive interview he tells CBS News how the military failed to help him - or protect his army wife. As he told Couric: "I've lost everything."
Domestic violence and abuse resources:
National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE.
National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline, LoveIsRespect.org, 866-331-9474
Family Violence Prevention Fund

CBS EVENING NEWS JANUARY 13, 2009

Ladies: I just watched the CBS Evening News Edition tonight, January 13, 2009, and I attached a short video http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4719936n revealing that 3.4 million Americans have been stalked!! 45 year old Olidia Ker Day was shot down by her stalker in the parking lot of the Plantation, Florida police department. Don't let these creeps get away with making you fear for your life -- take control and protect yourself!!!!! Make these freaks fear you with their life!!!!!!!! JANUARY IS STALKING AWARENESS MONTH!!! Let's stop being victims and turn the tables on these sickos!!!!! PROTECT YOURSELF!!!!!

LATEST SEXUAL ASSAULT STATS

Here are some more sickening statistics on victims of sexual abuse in the United States. These numbers are from RAINN: The nation's largest anti-sexual assault organization.

About Victims
1 in 6 women will be a victim of sexual assault in their lifetime.
College age women are 4 times more likely to be sexually assaulted.

Sexual Assault Numbers
In 2006, there were 272,350 victims of sexual assault.
Every 2 minutes, someone in the U.S. is sexually assaulted.

Reporting to Police
60% of sexual assaults are not reported to the police.
Reporting has increased by 1/3 since 1993.

About Rapists
Approximately 73% of rape victims know their assailants.
Only 6% of rapists will ever spend a day in jail.

DON'T BE A VICTIM!!! PROTECT YOURSELF with one of Stingergirlz many non-lethal self defense devices. It may save your life! Go to http://www.stingergirlz.com/ and defend yourself today!

If you are a victim of sexual abuse and need immediate assistance, PLEASE contact RAINN's HOTLINE
1-800-656-HOPE. Additional resources can be found at http://www.rainn.org/get-information/links

JANUARY IS STALKING AWARENESS MONTH

JANUARY 2009 is Stalking Awareness Month gives us the opportunity to learn about this crime that continues to disrupt and victimize people from all walks of life and in every community throughout America. Each year, more than one million women and nearly 400,000 men in the United States are victims of stalking. The Office on Violence Against Women , in partnership with the National Center for Victims of Crime's Stalking Resource Center, encourages communities to focus attention on the serious and deadly crime of stalking. This year's theme, "Stalking: Know It. Name It. Stop It." challenges communities to combat stalking by learning more about the dynamics of stalking. Please visit www.stalkingawarenessmonth.org to download resources, including fact sheets, media tools, brochures, and artwork, as you plan your local National Stalking Awareness Month activities!

Check out the U.S. Department of Justice Website http://www.ovw.usdoj.gov/ for more information.

U.S. VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN INCREASES

Here is an amazing article I found that reveals the 2008 statistics on violence against women. I cannot believe that in the 21st century, women still being brutalized. This is why we started http://www.stingergirlz.com/ to offer women another resource to protect themselves against violence. Read on!


US: Violence Against Women: These Numbers Require Action
by
Sarah Tofte
December 19, 2008
These high rates of violence against women should serve as a wake-up call that more must be done to address the problem of sexual violence in the US.
Sarah Tofte, researcher, US Program
Related Materials:
US: Soaring Rates of Rape and Violence Against Women
US: LA Police Fail to Use Funds to Test Rape Kits
US: Los Angeles Needs Plan to Test Rape Evidence
Other Material:
Huffington Post Article
The release of the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) this week showing huge increases in the incidence of domestic violence, rape, and sexual assault barely made the news. For those who closely follow sexual violence statistics in the US, though, the numbers were alarming.
The reported incidents of domestic violence increased by 42 percent and sexual violence by 25 percent over the figures two years earlier. These high rates of violence against women should serve as a wake-up call that more must be done to address the problem of sexual violence in the US.
It turns out that sexual violence is a bigger problem in the US than previously understood. According to the NCVS at least 248,300 individuals were raped or sexually assaulted in 2007, up from the figure of 190,600 in the report covering 2005, the last year the survey was conducted. Among all violent crimes, domestic violence, rape, and sexual assault showed the largest increases. The projected number of violent crimes committed by intimate partners against women increased from 389,100 in 2005 to 554,260 in the 2007 report. By comparison, the projected number of violent crimes against men by intimate partners went down. Except for simple assault, which increased by 3 percent, the incidence of every other crime surveyed decreased.
The new numbers suggest that previously, the government significantly underestimated the number of individuals affected by domestic and sexual violence in this country, and it should urgently take corrective action. Due to criticism from experts in the subject, the survey's methodology was adjusted in 2007 to capture more accurately the incidence of gender-based violence.
The authors say in the report that the higher numbers may reflect the new, more accurate methodology rather than an actual increase in the number of violent incidents. But whether the higher figures are the result of increased crime or improved methodology, policymakers should urgently adjust public policies, law enforcement, and provision of support services based on the startling conclusions about the prevalence of domestic and sexual violence.
The NCVS numbers out this week demonstrate that the problem of sexual violence is serious and widespread in the US and will require immediate attention from lawmakers and the Obama administration. One action the administration should take in its first 100 days in office is to appoint a special adviser to the White House on violence against women.
In the first year, the administration should work with Congress to ratify the Convention to Eliminate All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), which would provide stronger protections against and redress for sexual violence, and amend the Debbie Smith Act, a grant program meant to aid states in testing rape kits (the collection of DNA from a victim after a rape) but is often used to test evidence in non-rape cases.
Prevention of and protection against all forms of domestic and sexual violence must be a top priority for policymakers. The lack of news coverage this week of the rise in sexual and domestic violence is of a piece with the dynamics of sexual violence in this country. Sexual and domestic violence is often a hidden crime, but the NCVS numbers are a stark reminder that the human suffering it causes is all too real.
Sarah Tofte is a US Program researcher at Human Rights Watch