Misinformation and military sexual assault
These findings show that military sexual assault is not a male-and-female problem, as Trump says, or that it should be expected as long as women serve in the military, as Lauer suggests.
Their statements indicate a fundamental misunderstanding of sexual assault. Rape and sexual assaults are crimes of violence, power and control — not a matter of gratifying sexual impulses or desires. Sex is used to inflict pain or humiliation on the victim. This is reflected in the study’s findings of repeated attacks by known (sometimes multiple) offenders, described by the victims as acts of abuse or humiliation.
“There’s no reason to think that getting rid of women in the military would change those sexual assaults” of men, said Andrew Morral, senior behavioral scientist at Rand, who co-led the research. “A lot of these sexual assaults in the military occur in the context of hazing. It’s not clearly intended for anyone’s sexual gratification.”