Military Justice Improvement Act of 2019 Would Remove Decisions on Sexual Assault from the Chain of Command

The following is a statement by Emily Martin, Vice President for Education and Workplace Justice at the National Women’s Law Center:

“Women join the military to serve and protect their country—not to be sexually assaulted. But it’s a cruel reality that far too many women in the military are sexually assaulted on the job. And for the one in three who reports their abuse, little is done to stop it and they face routine retaliation by their commander and cohorts for speaking up. Senator Gillibrand’s Military Justice Improvement Act of 2019 would attack the scourge of military sexual violence by removing prosecution authority over sexual assault from commanders. This inherent conflict of interest that shields perpetrators from facing the consequences of their abuse must end.”

###

For immediate release: June 12, 2019

NWLC media office, [email protected]; 202-956-5116