Reported Sexual Assaults Up 64% At Military Academies
LatestSexual assaults at US military academies were up 64% last academic year, according to a Defense Dept. report. And while the Air Force had the biggest increase, they may actually be doing the most to combat assault.
According to the AP, the actual numbers of assaults reported were fairly small: 41 total in the 2009-2010 year, compared with 25 the year before. West Point went up from 9 to 10 incidents, the Naval Academy from 8 to 11. The Air Force Academy had the biggest increase — from 8 to 20. Though these numbers may seem low, the AP points out that experts believe that among the general population, “reported sexual assaults represent fewer than 10 percent of all types of unwanted sexual contact” — and if this holds true for the military academies as well, the real number of incidents could be much higher.