May 14, 2008 11:20

One in three military women sexually abused

I'm digging TheWip.net, the website of Women's International Perspective, a compilation of thoughtful, surprising blogs from women around the world. There's a "byline portal" that collects articles in newspapers and magazines on global news (check out this fascinating International Herald Tribune story on the courtship of young Saudi women).

But what caught my eye today is this blog entry by Nancy Van Ness on the sorry way our military treats servicewomen. Denied equal treatment and training as men, nonetheless

the greatest danger that military women in Iraq and Afghanistan face is from their male peers and officers. More women there are the victims of sexual assault than of injuries from hazardous military duties. Reuters reported as far back as 1995, “Ninety percent of women under 50 who have served in the US military and who responded to a survey report being victims of sexual harassment, and nearly one-third of the respondents of all ages say they have been raped.”

Imagine volunteering for a dangerous, exhausting, difficult job no one else wants—and being rewarded with atrocious treatment just for being a gal. Read Van Ness's whole post; it's horrifying, but worth your time.