Sexual assault programs in the U.S. Army are crippled by bureaucratic complications, such as not enough staff and investigations that taken an excessively long time, according to a report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office released Monday. The GAO investigated sexual assault prevention and response programs in the Army National Guard and the Army Reserve — the institutions have been criticized for the way they’ve handled accusations of rape and sexual assault in the past. Victims have reportedly kept silent about instances of assault, fearing retaliation.
The report outlined four main criticisms in the way the Army’s sexual response programs work:
The GAO report also listed six recommendations to fix these problems: to conduct an evaluation in the way that program staff are used; to better communicate funding from the top down; to develop clear guidance on budget development; to include a discussion of the budget in the mid-year review; to speed up the timeliness of investigations; and to make sure sexual assault victims get quicker access to health care services.
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