GS student-veteran and Naval ROTC member Abigale Wyatt and GS alumna and current Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs student Helen Shor ‘12 were recently featured in a two-part interview on WKCR, Columbia’s radio station, focused on the challenges and opportunities for women in the military. Along with Shor and Wyatt, SIPA student Leslie Paisley and Columbia University School of Journalism Professor Helen Benedict, author of The Lonely Soldier, discussed the recent lifting of the ban on women in combat and the high rate of sexual assault in the military.
Abigale Wyatt, a junior, first enlisted in the Navy in 2008 and is a part of the Navy Seaman to Admiral Program, and she saw the prevalence of sexual assault in the military not as a military-specific program, but as a societal problem that happens to be reflected in the military. Wyatt also pointed out that they receive many briefings and instructions on how to report sexual violence, and that this is now mostly a generational issue. She is confident that as young people, trained with this intense awareness of sexual violence, move into positions of authority, the problem will resolve itself.
Helen Shor, who is studying international affairs with a specialization in security policy in the Middle East, was certain that more could be done to prevent sexual violence. Shor deployed to Iraq three times, and said she grew immensely from her time in the military, but was disappointed by the sexual assault and violence she found. She did note that not all women are victimized, but almost everyone knows someone who has been the victim of violence.
Shor also downplayed the importance of the many briefings and reporting options, saying that many women were shocked when they tried to use those resources and got a dismissive response.
When asked if she thought a third-party investigation from outside the military would better handle these cases, she was conflicted. Qualifying her answer with the fact that military culture is very insulated and difficult to understand from outside, she did concede that outside investigators could be useful.
Listen to WKCR
Listen to Part I and Part II of the show featuring Shor and Wyatt on WCKR’s website.
Watch a video by The New York Times investigating the same issues, also featuring GS student Abigale Wyatt.
