Countering Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment in the U.S. Military: Lessons from RAND Research

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Acosta, Joie D.

Contributor:

Chinman, Matthew

Shearer, Amy L.

Language:

English

Other Title:

Countering Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment in the U.S. Military

Place of Publication:

Santa Monica, Calif. RAND Corporation 2021

Summary:

Despite the significant steps that the Department of Defense (DoD) has been taking for more than a decade to address sexual assault and sexual harassment in the U.S. military, these behaviors remain a persistent problem. To reduce rates of sexual assault and sexual harassment—and not just respond to them—efforts should focus on the current state of prevention for these problem behaviors within the services. The authors of this report synthesize findings and recommendations from the RAND Corporation's extensive research in this area. Eight RAND researchers—all subject-matter experts—drew from years of empirical study through RAND's multiple federally funded research and development centers to describe challenges that have slowed or stagnated progress toward addressing sexual assault and sexual harassment and examine efforts that have been made to reverse that trend. The authors highlight actions that will help DoD deter sexual assault and sexual harassment by holding perpetrators and leaders accountable and by equipping service members and leaders with the tools to prevent problem behaviors. The authors recommend hiring dedicated and well-trained prevention staff (prevention is often a collateral duty) and then discuss future research priorities that would allow DoD to set the standard for excellence in sexual assault and sexual harassment prevention.