Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Floor Speech

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Madam Speaker, I am very honored to be here in a bipartisan manner to talk about a subject that we can all agree on, which is that freedom from sexual assault is a basic human right. It is not to be tolerated in any corner of society. And the issue is not talked about enough, so I am glad we are bringing it up today.

I want to focus today on sexual assault that is taking place at an alarming rate in a place that we would not expect, and that is it in our military.

The reports of sexual assault in the military are mind-boggling. The Defense Department estimated that there were 26,000 sexual assaults in 2012. Those numbers are shocking, but this isn't just about statistics. It is about real people.

I want to share a story about one of my constituents. Elisha Morrow joined the Coast Guard at age 22. She started boot camp with so much pride and hope. She joined the Coast Guard because she believed deeply in their mission to save lives, which they do every day.

Her hope turned to humiliation and sorrow as her company commander sexually harassed her with innuendos and advancements night after night. The commander became even more emboldened and eventually raped the female recruit.

Shockingly, the commander was convicted of lesser charges of cruelty and maltreatment and adultery and not rape because the victim could not prove that her life wasn't under physical threat and that she didn't fear for her life. She had committed to his sexual advances under command.

The law did not take into account situations in which a superior abuses his or her position to take advantage of victims. That is not full justice. That is why the victim felt even more humiliated.

As a mother of a marine war veteran, when I heard this story, I knew I had to do something about it, and I want to thank my colleagues because we joined together when we passed the National Defense Authorization Act to direct the military to examine the need for a new definition of rape and sexual assault in cases when someone abuses their position in command.

No military recruit or servicemember should endure sexual abuse. Our sons and daughters put on the uniform to protect us, and now, we must protect them.

So we have made some good progress, Madam Speaker, which I am proud of, but there is so much more to do. We have to be vigilant.

There still remains a debate, even within our Congress, whether to remove these type of cases from the chain of command. We have to be vigilant and make sure our laws are working and make sure our sons and daughters are protected and get the full support they need to heal when they are assaulted.

In this country, every citizen has the right to be safe and protected. There should be no exceptions.

Mr. Reed, I want to thank you again for allowing me to share this moment with you.

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