USAF Sees Increased Number of Sexual Assaults

The Air Force received 585 reports of sexual assaults in Fiscal 2010, according to the Defense Department’s Fiscal 2010 report of sexual assaults in the military, released Thursday. There were 546 reported cases in Fiscal 2009. The 2010 number includes 325 unrestricted reports that were provided to command and/or law enforcement for investigation and 260 restricted reports, in which victims received medical treatment and support, but there was no command or law enforcement involvement. Those numbers represent a 13-percent increase in unrestricted reports and a one-percent decrease in restricted reports from Fiscal 2009. Included in the 2010 figures are 18 sexual assaults reported from “combat areas of interest”—two more than reported the previous year. The 2010 overall total could reflect increased awareness due to new training standards and improved procedures meant to ensure reports don’t fall through the cracks, states the report. (DOD release) (To download full document, go to DOD Sexual Assault Prevention and Response annual report webpage.)