Sexual Harassment in the Army

Sexual Harassment in the Army

            Cases of sexual harassment have continued to be an issue of concern despite the efforts employed to have the situation under control. The cases have been reported from genders, although females have reported more cases than their male counterparts. The causes of sexual harassment range from gender stereotypes to cultural experiences. A broader understanding of the root causes is needed in a bid to develop effective strategies to stop the menace. The current training approach plays a significant role in reducing the number of cases associated with sexual harassment since some causes can be related to a lack of sufficient training. However, more effective approaches are needed to see that the situation is put under control and that both victims and perpetrators are handled accordingly. Sexual harassment is still an issue of concern, and better strategies are required to see that the menace is put under control.

Cases of sexual harassment continue to take place in the army due to several factors that have proved hard to deal with using the existing approaches. First, gender stereotypes have affected the military, like most of the other institutions across the world (Skopp et al. 2019). Most institutions have been founded on patriarchal structures that have ended up contributing to sexual harassment in one way or another. Policies are developed to encourage masculine ideas that lead to dominance and unnecessary risk-taking. The various systems end up putting some people on the receiving end of sexual harassment. Generally, gender stereotypes have contributed to more sexual harassment cases involving female officers than male officers. Secondly, historical and religious experiences have been associated with a wide range of sexual harassment cases. Historically, women have been viewed as rewards to men who have participated in the war. The trend has been carried to the present with military personnel in some countries being provided with sex workers as appreciation for engaging in combat.

The current approaches used in managing sexual harassment have contributed immensely in reducing the number of sexual harassment cases. The role played by SHARP cannot be overlooked since training forms an essential part of the development of values that determine the behavior of soldiers in their camps and on the war-field (Nikolov, 2017). The training starts with the engagement of leaders in the army so that they can transfer their knowledge to junior officers. Generally, the leaders are trained on the importance of work-related r values and prevention measures. Also, the myths and facts surrounding sexual harassment are made known to the officers to avoid the transmission of misleading information. Generally, the training has helped in addressing the perceptions created by the myths that have been going around. For example, a myth has been in existence that men cannot be sexually harassed. However, reality has proved differently since cases of sexual assault involving men have also been on the increase. Also, sexual harassment has been blamed on certain races leaving other races, yet anyone can be involved in sexual harassment, either as a victim or a perpetrator. Moreover, sexual harassment can be addressed by developing various strategies that will help in behavior change and improve defense mechanisms.

Sexual harassment can be controlled in the army by ensuring that the strategies employed consider both the perpetrators and the victims. The perpetrators can be involved through behavior-change programs while the victims can be engaged through training on defense mechanisms (Nikolov, 2017). Generally, the most effective mechanisms of fighting sexual harassment can be obtained from the root causes of sexual harassment. If the causes are adequately addressed, the army authorities will have an easy time containing the few cases of sexual harassment that might be left out in the initial strategies. For example, past sexual harassment experience has been associated with a higher risk of repeated sexual assault. The victims of previous sexual harassment can engage in future cases either as perpetrators or even as a victim. Generally, sexual harassment is associated with severe emotional damage that puts the victim at a higher risk is proper actions are not taken to help the victim to overcome their experience. For example, an individual who has been sexually harassed in their childhood may grow up with a vengeance waiting for an opportunity to revenge. The training officers may conduct thorough investigations to find out cases of past sexual harassment so that they can help the individuals in overcoming their traumas. Generally, the best recommendation is to have a training program that involves the trainees to unearth the challenges that they go through in their service.