Military has become breeding ground for sexual violence
An Army general has been arrested for sexually harassing a female subordinate in his unit in yet another high-profile sex crime involving the military. This is the first time that a general has been charged with sexual assault.
According to the defense ministry, the brigadier general attempted to forcefully touch a female officer at a karaoke bar after dining with his subordinates. The general denied the allegations, but military investigators confirmed his crime through closed-circuit television footage that recorded the incident.
The incident comes as a shock as the military is still reeling from the death of an Air Force master sergeant who took her own life in May, three months after she was sexually assaulted by a male sergeant. The suicide led to the resignation of Air Force Chief of Staff Lee Seong-yong and prompted the defense ministry to declare a special reporting period to find other sexual abuse victims in the military, leading to the launch of investigations into 20 other allegations.
It's lamentable that a commanding officer, who should have been at the vanguard of preventing crimes, has been accused of sexual harassment at a time when attention was being drawn to offenses committed in the barracks. The one bright spot here is that the military was quick to detain the offender and separate him from the victim, while keeping her identity secret to prevent further damage.
What's needed first is to look into the case thoroughly and punish the perpetrator severely. But it's more important to find out the root cause of why the military has become a breeding ground for sex crimes irrespective of rank. The latest case raises the possibility that the problem of sexual violence in the military is far more structural than thought. The military should come up with special measures, taking into account its insular and authoritarian characteristics. It is also necessary to introduce a system in which anyone can blow the whistle on wrongdoings in the military, including sex crimes, without fear.
An Army general has been arrested for sexually harassing a female subordinate in his unit in yet another high-profile sex crime involving the military. This is the first time that a general has been charged with sexual assault.
According to the defense ministry, the brigadier general attempted to forcefully touch a female officer at a karaoke bar after dining with his subordinates. The general denied the allegations, but military investigators confirmed his crime through closed-circuit television footage that recorded the incident.
The incident comes as a shock as the military is still reeling from the death of an Air Force master sergeant who took her own life in May, three months after she was sexually assaulted by a male sergeant. The suicide led to the resignation of Air Force Chief of Staff Lee Seong-yong and prompted the defense ministry to declare a special reporting period to find other sexual abuse victims in the military, leading to the launch of investigations into 20 other allegations.
It's lamentable that a commanding officer, who should have been at the vanguard of preventing crimes, has been accused of sexual harassment at a time when attention was being drawn to offenses committed in the barracks. The one bright spot here is that the military was quick to detain the offender and separate him from the victim, while keeping her identity secret to prevent further damage.
What's needed first is to look into the case thoroughly and punish the perpetrator severely. But it's more important to find out the root cause of why the military has become a breeding ground for sex crimes irrespective of rank. The latest case raises the possibility that the problem of sexual violence in the military is far more structural than thought. The military should come up with special measures, taking into account its insular and authoritarian characteristics. It is also necessary to introduce a system in which anyone can blow the whistle on wrongdoings in the military, including sex crimes, without fear.
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