Demand Congress creates a new method for reporting sexual assault in the military

The Issue

During my training for the U.S. military I was violently raped, tortured and left to die by a superior.

You can watch my story in the video above.

I am not alone. Sadly, the Department of Defense reports that only 13.5% of sexual assaults within the armed services are ever reported—DoD estimates that over 19,000 such incidents occurred in 2010.

The military rarely prosecutes rape or sexual assault within its ranks and victims seldom get the medical care they need or the justice they deserve. My assailant, like thousands of others, has never been prosecuted. 

Currently, sexual assault in the military is reported through the normal chain of command. It’s not working.

Several nations have instituted sweeping reforms to fix similar problems in their armed services, including England, Australia and Canada.  It's time for the U.S. to act.

Please join me and other survivors now: Tell your representative to protect our defenders and support H.R. 3435, The STOP Act, to create a new system for handling sexual assault in the military outside the normal chain of command.

-Terri, Military Sexual Assault Survivor

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SJ Mercury News: Speier introduces legislation to address rape in the military

 ​http://lezgetreal.com/2011/11/rep-speier-introduces-bill-to-combat-sexual-assault-in-the-military/

ABC News: Sexual Assault in the Military: New Legislation Seeks to Alter Reporting Process ​http://www.scpr.org/news/2011/11/17/29925/ca-congresswoman-introduces-military-rape-bill/​

Feminist.org: Speier Introduces Bill to Eliminate Rape in the Military ​http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/11/17/2507195/lawmaker-wants-military-rape-cases.html

Ms. Magazine: Speier Introduces Bill to Eliminate Rape in the Military   ​http://thehill.com/blogs/defcon-hill/policy-and-strategy/194251-speier-wants-new-office-to-investigate-military-sexual-assaults

Huffington Post: A Crisis in Our Military ​http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/11/17/EDL71M01NC.DTL

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Protect Our DefendersPetition StarterPatton has spent years making an impact as an organizer, campaign manager and consultant. Online and off, his clients have consistently won tough campaigns, raising millions of dollars, driving millions of actions, moving millions of voters, and picking up a couple of Pollie Awards along the way. As a campaigner, he's run legislative races in the middle of nowhere and coordinated government relations efforts for large national advocacy groups. As a consultant, Patton developed media and strategy for Democratic candidates and unions as Senior Strategist at Compass Media Group in Chicago, provided fundraising and advocacy strategy for major nonprofits as Senior Account Executive at Donordigital in Berkeley, and did a fair bit of solo work in those fields. As Senior Campaign Strategist at <a href="http://Change.org" rel="nofollow">Change.org</a>, he can't wait to tie it all together. Patton is a graduate of the University of Chicago. He lives in Oakland with his wife and a pretty awesome puppy.
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This petition had 6,045 supporters

The Issue

During my training for the U.S. military I was violently raped, tortured and left to die by a superior.

You can watch my story in the video above.

I am not alone. Sadly, the Department of Defense reports that only 13.5% of sexual assaults within the armed services are ever reported—DoD estimates that over 19,000 such incidents occurred in 2010.

The military rarely prosecutes rape or sexual assault within its ranks and victims seldom get the medical care they need or the justice they deserve. My assailant, like thousands of others, has never been prosecuted. 

Currently, sexual assault in the military is reported through the normal chain of command. It’s not working.

Several nations have instituted sweeping reforms to fix similar problems in their armed services, including England, Australia and Canada.  It's time for the U.S. to act.

Please join me and other survivors now: Tell your representative to protect our defenders and support H.R. 3435, The STOP Act, to create a new system for handling sexual assault in the military outside the normal chain of command.

-Terri, Military Sexual Assault Survivor

----

SJ Mercury News: Speier introduces legislation to address rape in the military

 ​http://lezgetreal.com/2011/11/rep-speier-introduces-bill-to-combat-sexual-assault-in-the-military/

ABC News: Sexual Assault in the Military: New Legislation Seeks to Alter Reporting Process ​http://www.scpr.org/news/2011/11/17/29925/ca-congresswoman-introduces-military-rape-bill/​

Feminist.org: Speier Introduces Bill to Eliminate Rape in the Military ​http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/11/17/2507195/lawmaker-wants-military-rape-cases.html

Ms. Magazine: Speier Introduces Bill to Eliminate Rape in the Military   ​http://thehill.com/blogs/defcon-hill/policy-and-strategy/194251-speier-wants-new-office-to-investigate-military-sexual-assaults

Huffington Post: A Crisis in Our Military ​http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/11/17/EDL71M01NC.DTL

avatar of the starter
Protect Our DefendersPetition StarterPatton has spent years making an impact as an organizer, campaign manager and consultant. Online and off, his clients have consistently won tough campaigns, raising millions of dollars, driving millions of actions, moving millions of voters, and picking up a couple of Pollie Awards along the way. As a campaigner, he's run legislative races in the middle of nowhere and coordinated government relations efforts for large national advocacy groups. As a consultant, Patton developed media and strategy for Democratic candidates and unions as Senior Strategist at Compass Media Group in Chicago, provided fundraising and advocacy strategy for major nonprofits as Senior Account Executive at Donordigital in Berkeley, and did a fair bit of solo work in those fields. As Senior Campaign Strategist at <a href="http://Change.org" rel="nofollow">Change.org</a>, he can't wait to tie it all together. Patton is a graduate of the University of Chicago. He lives in Oakland with his wife and a pretty awesome puppy.
Media inquiries

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Petition created on November 14, 2011