Washington, D.C.
Air Force servicemen on bases in the Pacific were accused of at least 92 rapes from 2001 to 2003, according to a new study by the service. Gen. William Begert, Air Force commander in the region, ordered the review after a string of recent reports of sexual abuse in the military. Out of 106 men named in the 92 cases, 14 were tried by court-martial, and seven of them were convicted. Forty were demoted or otherwise punished. Victims, most of them U.S. servicewomen, have accused the military of ignoring the problem, or even punishing them for reporting the crimes. Begert ordered several reforms, including greater assistance for victims. “We’ve got to take this on,” he said.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Aston Martin Vantage Roadster: 'a rare treat indeed'The Week Recommends The Roadster version of Aston Martin's new Vantage coupé makes even 'the most mundane journey feel special'
-
Bad Friend: Tiffany Watt Smith explores why women abandon friendshipsThe Week Recommends A 'deeply researched' account of female friendship through history
-
Brazil's reborn dolls crazeUnder The Radar The 'hyper-realistic' babies soaring in popularity in South American nation have spawned controversy
