The Invisible War

( Its on sexual assault on women soldiers in U.S.Armay )

The Invisible War is a 2012 documentary film written and directed by Kirby Dick about sexual abuse in the United States Armed Forces. It premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, where it received the U.S. Documentary Audience Award.

Last year, 3,192 sexual assaults, from unwanted sexual touching to rape, were reported across all branches of the military. Based on anonymous surveys of active-duty service members conducted in 2010, however, the Department of Defense says the number of incidents was closer to 19,000. Women aren't the only ones affected. Of the 65,000 veterans who sought treatment in 2009 for conditions related to military sexual trauma, a term that also includes sexual harassment, 40 percent were men.

Ariana Klay, a first lieutenant in the Marine Corps who served in Iraq, said she was raped by a senior officer and his civilian friend in August 2010. After reporting the assaults, Klay said the subsequent harassment and retaliation led her to attempt suicide. When the Marine Corps investigated her case, Klay was told she had invited harassment by wearing make-up and regulation-length skirts. One of Klay's attackers was court-martialed, but convicted of adultery and indecent language -- not rape.  

Trina McDonald, a seaman stationed at a remote naval station in Alaska, said she was repeatedly raped and drugged by members of the military police beginning in 1989. She did not report the assaults since those that were involved in the rapes, including higher-ranking officers, were the individuals to whom she would have reported.

“The Invisible War” opens on Friday in theaters in New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles and San Francisco in the wake of significant changes to the way the military investigates and handles allegations of sexual assault.

The Invisible War features interviews with military personnel, lawmakers, and advocates, as well as veterans who have survived assault. The survivors talk about their experiences joining the military, the events surrounding their assaults, and the difficulties they have faced in seeking justice.

One survivor, Seaman Kori Cioca, struggles to earn benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs to pay for the many medical difficulties that have resulted from her rape. With the help of attorney Susan Burke, Cioca brings a civil suit against the Department of Defense alleging a failure to adequately address sexual assault within the military.

The film also recounts several current and past incidents of sexual abuse, such as the 1991 Navy Tailhook scandal, the 1996 Army Aberdeen scandal, and the 2003 Air Force Academy scandal, and argues that the military has consistently made empty promises to address its high rate of sexual assault. The survivors and advocates featured in the film call for changes to the way the military handles sexual assault, such as shifting prosecution away from unit commanders, who often are either friends with assailants or are assailants themselves.

Two days before the film's premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta called a press conference to discuss the Department of Defense's efforts to help sexual assault survivors. He did not announce changes to enforcement or prosecution.

Following The Invisible War's initial allegations of widespread harassment and sexual assault at Marine Barracks Washington, eight women filed suit against military leaders for maintaining an environment that tolerates rapists while silencing survivors.

On April 16, 2012, Secretary Panetta issued a directive ordering all sexual assault cases to be handled by colonels or other higher ranking officers. This effectively ended the practice of commanders prosecuting sexual assault cases from within their own units .