***STATEMENT*** EXCLUSIVE CBS SERIES DIVES DEEP INTO MILITARY SEXUAL ASSAULT DOCUMENTING PENTAGON’S CONTINUED REFUSAL TO ADDRESS SYSTEMIC PROBLEM
Washington, DC – Tonight, CBS Evening News will launch a four-part investigative series that details a year-and-a-half long investigation into the epidemic of sexual assault in the military. Anchored by Norah O’Donnell, the series delves into the failure of military leadership to address a “pervasive culture of sexual assault” and “culture of retaliation” through interviews with military whistleblowers and dozens of sexual assault survivors, including the family members of those that took their own lives. Protect Our Defenders (POD) – the only national organization solely dedicated to ending the epidemic of rape and sexual assault in the military – collaborated with the CBS Investigative Unit on the series, connecting them to courageous survivors featured in the investigative series.
Instead of addressing systemic issues fueling the crisis, the Pentagon has repeatedly misled Congress. President-Elect Joe Biden has been clear on the need to reform the military justice system and empower independent military prosecutors. This is the first time ever that a Commander-in-Chief has supported fundamental reform.
“Biden was asked by Nancy Parrish (POD’s Founder & Executive Chair), an advocate for ending sexual assault in the military, if he would support ‘moving the military justice system into the 21st century,’ by allowing military prosecutors ‘to make prosecution decisions for non-military crimes — serious felonies like rape, murder, and child abuse,’ according to a pool report by Politico’s Marc Caputo.
“Biden answered ‘yes, yes, yes,’ pointing to his championing of the Violence Against Women Act and a confrontation with the commander of the joint chiefs on the issue, and saying ‘we have to change the culture of abuse in this country.'” – Forbes 4.29.20
Col. Don Christensen (ret.), the former Chief Prosecutor of the United State Air Force and President of Protect Our Defenders, released the following statement:
“The culture of sexual assault in the military runs deep – it is fueled by a system that prioritizes saving face over prosecuting rapists. The costs are extreme. Our military continues to lose its best and brightest and more families suffer unnecessarily. We thank the countless brave survivors of sexual assault and whistleblowers who have risked their careers and their well-being by coming forward.
“There’s a reason why the hundred of millions of dollars the Pentagon claims to pump into prevention are not working. The only way we can fix the problem is with real reform. No rape victim’s boss should decide whether they get justice or not. Our servicemembers deserve better.”
Tonight’s exclusive series will air on CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell (6:30pm ET), with more reports continuing this week on CBS This Morning (7:00am – 9:00 am ET). The series comes two years after POD and CBS collaborated on an Emmy-winning investigative series into sexual assault in the United States Air Force.
