Activists campaign against rape in the military; new laws could hold contractors accountable

This week, the anti-war group Veterans for Peace will be campaigning at Armed Forces recruiting stations across the US to demand that military recruiters alert women who are thinking of enlisting about the “high possibility” they will be raped by their peers while performing military service.

Lawmakers and government officials have been concerned about high rates of rape and sexual assault in the military since early this decade, when a 2003 medical study found that one in three women in the military had been raped.

In addition to members of the military, contractors also face sexual assault, but survivors had no legal recourse due to wavers they had to sign agreeing not to pursue legal actions against the contractor. A new law could change that and increase accountability of these corporations. FSRN´s Sam Greenspan reports from Washington, DC.