Command Rape
Command rape is a subject that rarely comes to light, primarily because of the fear felt by female soldiers of what will happen if they speak out. What is command rape? It’s the sexual coercion of female soldiers by those that have authority over them, especially in combat zones.
The story of Suzanne Swift is an example of this crime, and one that should be told repeatedly until this issue is widely exposed.
In a recent interview with Truthout, Suzanne’s mother, Sara Rich, spoke about what her daughter went through, about the abuse, the fear, and finally being jailed (if you can believe it) for going AWOL because she was being redeployed to Iraq and would face the same sort of treatment.
I urge everyone to click here and watch the interview. Below is an excerpt from a public address that Sara Rich gave in Eugene, Oregon, on the 18th of March…
“All of our hearts were heavy. Three days before her actual redeployment, she was packed and ready to go, she had her car keys in her hand, and she turned to me and said, “I don’t think I can do this.” I was shocked but knew any type of coercion on my part would not help, so I said, “Are you serious?” She replied, “I just can’t do it, Mom.” She could not go back there to the misery. She told me that being separated from her family and living and breathing Army for a year at a time in a war zone was a constant source of distress for her. Where nobody cares whether you live or die as long as you do what you are told and they look good afterwards. Nor could she handle another deployment, dealing with the daily hour-to-hour sexual harassment that she endured from 99% of her male officers and fellow soldiers. The isolation and fear of being attacked, harassed, molested and raped was a huge part of her life in Iraq. She was always full of anxiety and stress just keeping herself safe when her commanding officers would show up banging on her door in the middle of the night, intoxicated and wanting to have sex with her. The intimidation and sexual harassment that our female soldiers are enduring is leading to massive stress and in some cases even death for our military women in Iraq. They are not supported but shamed when they bring these to the attention of their superiors.”
For more information on action being taken about command rape, visit SuzanneSwift.org.
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September 9th, 2007 at 2:25 pm
Thanks for sharing that with us. I will pass the information around.
September 9th, 2007 at 3:25 pm
As previously mentioned we can be our own worst enemies. Who needs war when you have co-workers like this. I had a man tell me once that he could not understand rape as isn’t it the woman digging you that’s the best part. Too bad their are not more men like him and far less who live for violence. Kindness shows strength and violence shows weakness in my eyes.
September 9th, 2007 at 5:06 pm
Saying it is an outrage doesn’t say enough about what is happening:
link
September 9th, 2007 at 5:30 pm
It’s interesting how easily we lose our “humanity”. There’s something about putting people in a testosterone-heavy circumstances and creating a climate where violence is acceptable that seems to bring out a primordial nature in a lot of individuals.
Women have an intuitive sense as to when situations could become sexually dangerous for them. From sensing someone following you at night, to feeling uncomfortable in a bar full of drunk rugby/hockey/football players, there’s a primal unease that is difficult to ignore. To have that fear day and night must be emotionally exhausting. I admire women who are courageous enough to work in fire departments, for the army, or in other positions where there can be a lot of machismo. When combined with poor leadership, women (and some men) can be in a lot of danger.
September 9th, 2007 at 5:56 pm
This is fucking sick and it pisses me off to no extent. Is it too much to ask to be treated as an equal, when women are also in the trenches, risking their lives just like everyone else? There still remains a power struggle In the sense that men are still looking to over-power women because they can. It’s ridiculous. This should not be tolerated in any way, shape or form. It’s dangerous enough in an environment such as a bar, but women still have that sense of hope that someone will come to their senses and try to intervene. In these circumstances, there’s no one coming to their senses. They just feed off of mob mentality.
This needs to be brought to attention way more than it is, and something needs to be done.
Thank you for posting this on your website.
September 9th, 2007 at 8:31 pm
I find it hard to imagine what it must be like just to face the threat of everyday life in a combat zone, add in sick shit like this and it must be intolerable.
Everything I learn about the Afghanistan mission makes me wish our troops were back home.
September 10th, 2007 at 3:55 am
What a pathetic commentary on our ‘advanced’ civilization. America’s Army: Fighting for freedom and institutionalized rape. The most powerful military machine in the world with the morals of a chic pea.
Shock and awe.
September 10th, 2007 at 5:10 am
I never thought about the term “female soldiers….”
I just called them “soldiers”.
This is highly unethical and an abuse of authority….the 99% sounds just a tad inflated but I guess any atmosphere of impropriety would feel augmented.
I’m gonna say it just because though.
Malingering is always a possibility and the piece does focus more on withdrawal of combat troops than the harassment she received.
AWOL is a chargeable offense punishable by confinement. She should have rights to a redress of grievance however.
September 10th, 2007 at 8:22 am
How awful…another reason not to like my government….
posting this to my facebook page!
September 10th, 2007 at 8:56 am
This seems like the ideal situation for something like this to happen: A remote foreign location, a largely male body, a definite ranking system, and a body which is designed to cover up scandal, as we have seen in the past. Not to mention the group mentality of the army, which makes it even more difficult to get the true story at times.
September 10th, 2007 at 8:56 am
I was tired when I read this the first time and thought it was about the Canadian forces(sorry Patrick).
I’ve got two cousins in the US Army in Iraq, one a female nurse and I already worry about them every day. This just makes my blood boil.
September 10th, 2007 at 9:37 am
The big question is, what can be done to prevent this? It seems like the prevalent attitude is to keep events such as this under wraps, and it doesn’t seem like commanding officers are held accountable unless the issue is blown wide open, or if they need a scapegoat.
September 10th, 2007 at 7:04 pm
Seen.
Certainly a disturbing account. This being the US military I can’t comment on experience to several issues here.
The thoroughness of the summary investigation. The degree of involvement from a third party investigator or the policies and procedures for a redress of grievance - and the likeliness of resolution.
I won’t call this command rape as that’s a new term to me.
There was a definite case of sexual harassment that occurred and it seems to have been perpetrated by her squad leaders not the remainder of her CoC, any officers 99% of the rest. I only draw attention to that because an inflammatory accusation will curb no favour in a summary investigation - though I concede that is the mother’s account and truthout’s reporting of it.
She went to jail because she was AWOL however. And that is a chargeable offense and I’d probably send the MP’s after her too. Disobedience spreads quickly through rank and file and to allow it would actually make things worse for Swift upon return.
The aspect of not having her full 18months stress leave is troubling - but not uncommon in the States. We’re headed down a simiilar slippery slope here in Canada - I spoke to operational exhaustion and high tempo ops in my post about the reserves.
Though ultimately this is moot as she was transferred to another occupation.
I have to say the CF is a lot more forward thinking on these types of incidents - in proactive education and dealing with. There was a time and a muddling trough phase for women in the forces but I think it’s improved a fair bit - to the point where it should be the example.
September 10th, 2007 at 10:07 pm
I really don’t know what to say. That it’s in the military isn’t the scary part to me. That it happens anywhere at all is what frightens me. It grieves my heart and makes me sickened and furious all at the same time. That one person could willingly put that much fear or shame into someone else by raping them disgusts me. The abuse of power by a man to force himself on a woman is very wrong, I can definately see the possibility of it being magnified in a military institution. Though the problem is within our society itself, that it could be justified in ones mind to commit this crime. If I don’t say anything against it now, then I’m doing nothing.