BY ASSOCIATED PRESS
Park City, TAG — The Department of Defense estimates that more than
19,000 military men and women were sexually assaulted by fellow troops in 2010
while serving in the United States armed forces. At least 20 percent of
servicewomen and 1 percent of men — an estimated 500,000 troops — have
experienced sexual trauma while serving.
These
troubling statistics motivated documentarian Kirby Dick and producer Amy
Ziering to make "The Invisible War," a film that examines the
epidemic of rape within the military, how it affects victims and why so few
cases are prosecuted. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, where
it is a contender in the U.S. documentary competition.
The
statistics "were just so astonishing that at first we didn't believe
it," said Dick, adding that he was equally surprised that no film had been
made on the subject.
Through
interviews with rape survivors and military officials, "The Invisible
War" suggests that it's not just the violence and harassment that
traumatizes victims but the absence of impartial justice and personal
retaliation they often experience after reporting the incident. A rape
survivor's only judicial recourse is to report the attack to her commander —
even if he was the attacker — and it's his decision whether to investigate and
prosecute, regardless of the evidence.
"If
they investigate it, and the investigator comes back and says, 'I've got a
slam-dunk case. I can put this serial perpetrator behind bars,' the commander
can, on his or her own, decide, 'No, we're not going to send this case to court
martial,'" Dick said.
A
2009 study shows that only 8 percent of military sex offenders are prosecuted.
"The
Invisible War" introduces viewers to Kori Cioca, who left the Coast Guard
after being beaten and raped by her supervisor. Five years later, she still
suffers from post-traumatic stress and has yet to receive Veterans
Administration approval for the surgery she needs to repair the injuries she
suffered during the attack. The perpetrator, who continues to serve in the
Coast Guard, hit her so hard that he permanently dislocated her jaw.
Viewers
also meet Marine Corps 1st Lt. Ariana Klay, who served in Iraq before being
gang-raped by a senior officer and his friend while stationed at the elite
Marine Barracks in Washington, D.C. Klay's husband, also a Marine, cried as he
described his concern and fear that his wife would commit suicide.
Other
rape survivors shown in the film, including Cioca, said they also contemplated
suicide.
Hannah
Sewell, who comes from a military family, said she has trouble convincing
herself that she is still a virgin after being raped while serving in the Navy.
Her father, wearing his own military uniform, recounts the story through tears.
Dick
and Ziering traveled the country to interview some 70 survivors of military
rape.
"We
weren't really ready for all the stories we heard," Ziering said.
"Each one had a lot of similarities and all were equally horrific."
But
the filmmakers said they remained optimistic throughout the project and have
been gratified by the film's reception at Sundance, where politicians such as
U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer of California; U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier, Lt. Gov. Gavin
Newsom and U.S. Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio attended the premiere. Grammy winner
Mary J. Blige has also pledged to write an original song for the film.
"Our
great hope was and continues to be that capturing (survivors') experience and
their trauma will help change things for hundreds of thousands of men and women
who are in the armed forces," Dick said.
 |
| Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering (AP PHOTO) |
"They
can do the same thing with this," he said.
So
why don't they?
"They
don't take it seriously enough," Ziering said. "They don't really
see, and what we're hoping the film will show is the repercussions of it. They
don't understand the amount of damage this is doing and how it really is a
national security issue, and also costing taxpayers billions of dollars in just
caring for people with this kind of trauma.
"Once that message gets through to them, they
will be motivated to make a change, because it's a no brainer. They have to do
something."[]
Related articles:
Sundance Documentary Examines Rape in US Military
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