U.S. Senator Hagan Calls on Congress to Protect Those Who Serve

North Carolina's U.S. Senator Kay Hagan is urging Congress to quickly respond to reports of sexual assault in the U.S. Military. She's a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. She also represents North Carolina, home to almost a dozen key military installations.   

Tuesday morning she spoke on the Senate floor and referred to a report just released by the Department of Defense. "26,000, and this includes men and women, were sexually assault in 2012. This was up from 19,000 in 2010," says Sen. Hagan. "Even more alarming is the number of cases actually reported. Only 13% of assaults were actually reported in 2012."

According to the Department of Defense, many who are sexually assaulted say they hesitate to report the incident because they fear internal retaliation. Senator Hagan is calling on Congressional members to examine the military justice system in order to determine if it is equipped to deal with internal sexual assault cases or if an independent process would be better. She also believes the National Defense Authorization Act of 2014 will help victims by way of several directives including the creation of a special victim's task force.