A SENSE OF PURPOSE: FIGHTING FOR OUR LIVES TOUR
As a professional speaker,
Jillian Bullock will address the following topics:
Jillian Bullock will address the following topics:
- Sexual Assault/Rape
- Military Sexual Trauma
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Safety and Preventive Measures for Females
- Transforming From a Victim To a Victor
Why The ASOP Tour Is Important
2.4 million Americans, males and females, have served on the front lines in Iraq or Afghanistan over the past 10 years or so. Many of these men and women return home with no physical disabilities so people assume they are the “lucky” ones. However, inside their minds they are fighting a different kind of war still going on as they deal with witnessing traumatic events and death all around them or being the victim of military sexual assault.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that’s triggered by a terrifying event, e.g. combat, sexual assault, natural disaster, terrorist attack, etc. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event. This can lead to depression, alcohol and drug abuse, violent outbursts, homelessness, inability to hold down a job, withdrawal, and much more.
It’s estimated that 22 American military veterans die by suicide every day. That’s nearly one every hour, of every day, of every week, of every month. That’s over 8,000 veterans every year.
Leon Panetta, the former defense secretary, called the suicide rate among service members an epidemic.
Not all suicides of military personnel stem from being a victim of sexual assault in the military. However, thousands of veterans and active members have taken their life as a result of being violated while they served their country.FACTS:
The U.S. Department of Defense estimated that 26,000 incidents of sexual assault occurred last year in the military. In 2014, over 20,000 active members of the military were sexually assaulted. But those numbers are actually higher as many incidents go unreported (80%) due to men and women feeling pressure or fear of being singled out, shunned, losing their rank, negative responses from their unit or superior officers or retaliation. The latest Pentagon survey found that 62 percent of women and men who reported being sexually assaulted experienced retaliation.
WOMEN
Many military women face an even greater problem, having been the victim of sexual assault by men in their own unit. In fact, according to U.S. military facts women are more likely to be raped by a fellow soldier than killed by the enemy in Iraq or Afghanistan. One out of three women who serve in the military will be sexually assaulted or raped. This means women must deal with Military Sexual Trauma (MST) and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) when they return home. What makes the healing process even more difficult is the fact that more than 90 percent of alleged rapists aren’t found guilty because the judicial process is handled by military commanders.
When polled by the Veterans Health Administration, 1 in 5 female veterans admitted they had been the victims of Military Sexual Trauma (MST).
Considering more than 282,000 American women have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan during a decade of war, according to Pentagon figures, even former President Obama had to address the severity of this problem in the United States Armed Forces. He stated: “This type of crime has no place in the greatest military on earth.”
MEN
Acts of sexual violence is not perpetrated exclusively against women. Men are also subject to rape and/or sexual assault in the military. “There is still a misperception that this is a women’s issue and women’s crime,” Nate Galbreath, the senior executive adviser for the Pentagon’s sexual assault prevention office, told the Associated Press.
Sexual assault and rape in the military is at an all-time high and the numbers prove that this problem is an epidemic. Despite reports that assaults are increasing, politicians and the military do nothing to help eradicate the problem of rape and sexual assault in the military. It also makes things worse when politicians refuse to take the matter seriously and brush the problem off as ‘boys being boys.’
In fact, Senator Saxby Chambliss during the Senate hearings on rape in the military said: “Gee whiz, the hormone level created by nature sets in place the possibility of these types of things to occur.” Comments like these make light of the problem, which is one reason those military men and women, who are victims, often don’t get the respect and help they need.
During the ASOP Tour Jillian will speak at veterans groups, non-profit organizations, women’s groups, sexual assault and rape organizations, colleges, businesses, and corporations.
If you would like to book Jillian for a speaking engagement, contact Delayne Powe at – jbullockenterprises@gmail.com for fees and availability. www.jbullockenterprises.com
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