If the new MJI-IPA passes Congress, it’ll mean major reforms benefitting survivors of military sexual assault. Here are five ways you can help us pass the MJI-IPA in 2021:
Have questions? Contact us at info@protectourdefenders.com
1. Call your Senator’s office to ask them to vote for the bill
It only takes 1 minute and we know they’re counting the number of calls they receive on this issue. Instructions:
Find your Senator’s phone number by selecting your state from the dropdown.
Sample script for survivors: Hello, I’m a (US Army veteran), and I want to ask Senator _______ to support the Military Justice Improvement & Increased Prevention Act. This issue means a lot to me as a military sexual assault survivor myself, so I want to make sure my Senator stands with survivors like me.
Sample script for general public: Hello, I’m calling because I want to ask Senator _______ to support the Military Justice Improvement & Increased Prevention Act. Thousands of our American servicemembers are assaulted every year and only a fraction get justice. I care about this issue and want to make sure the Senator stands with them for meaningful military justice reform.
2. Mail or email your Senator’s office asking them to vote for the bill
Find your Senator’s office address or email by selecting your state from the dropdown.
Sample letter for survivors:
Dear Senator ______, I’m a US Air Force veteran. Like so many servicemembers, I left the military after I was sexually assaulted. All I ever wanted to do was serve my country. Thousands of servicemembers and civilians are sexually assaulted each year. Sadly, the number of reported sexual assaults keeps rising, and the number of convictions falling.
To fix our military justice system we need to put the prosecution of serious crimes like rape and murder into the hands of trained military law professionals. I urge you to support veterans like me by voting for the Military Justice Improvement & Increased Prevention Act. Thank you.
Sample letter for general public:
Dear Senator ______, I’m writing to you about the issue of sexual assault in our military. Today, the Department of Defense reports increasing sexual assaults by servicemembers, but decreasing conviction rates. Despite years of Congressional inquiries, thousands are raped or sexually assaulted every year. In many of those cases, the assailant is someone in the survivor’s own chain of command. Only a small fraction of the perpetrators are ever held accountable for their heinous, violent crimes.
The bipartisan Military Justice Improvement & Increased Prevention Act is designed to professionalize how the military prosecutes serious crimes like sexual assault, and to remove the fear that survivors of military sexual assault experience when deciding whether to even report these crimes. A Pentagon survey found that 64% of survivors say they have experienced some form of retaliation for reporting the crime. Please vote for the Military Justice Improvement & Increased Prevention Act.
3. Post publicly in support of the bill on social media like Facebook and Twitter
Tag your Senators if you can because their staff monitors social media mentions.
Sample Tweet: Senator @MittRomney, will you stand with military sexual assault survivors to pass the Military Justice Improvement & Increased Prevention Act? Veterans like me need your help! #MeToo #MeTooMilitary #IAmVanessaGuillen #MJIIPA
4. Write a letter to your local newspaper asking your Senators to support the bill
Senators pay very close attention to papers in their state.
Try to stay under 200 words (our example below is about 150). You can submit a letter to the editor of your local newspaper or contact our communications team for help: brian@protectourdefenders.com
Sample letter
I am a US Navy Veteran. [Optional: Include a sentence about being a survivor of sexual assault]
Today, the Department of Defense reports increasing sexual assaults by servicemembers, but decreasing conviction rates. Despite years of Congressional inquiries, thousands are raped or sexually assaulted every year. In many of those cases, the assailant is someone in the survivor’s own chain of command. Only a small fraction of the perpetrators are ever held accountable for their heinous, violent crimes.
The bipartisan Military Justice Improvement & Increased Prevention Act is designed to professionalize how the military prosecutes serious crimes like sexual assault, and to remove the fear that survivors of military sexual assault experience when deciding whether to even report these crimes. A Pentagon survey found that 64% of survivors say they have experienced some form of retaliation for reporting the crime.
I hope Senator _______ will stand with veterans like me and vote in favor of MJI-IPA.
See also: Letter to the editor published in the Iowa Times-Republican
5. Record a 1 minute video in support of the bill, personally asking a specific undecided Senator to vote for it
We have a list of undecided senators and we’ll be showing them videos from survivors. Find instructions to participate here. Watch a sample video below:
Have questions? Contact us at info@protectourdefenders.com