CLAS standards and their applications

CLAS Standards

The widespread occurrence of Military Sexual Trauma requires an educational program to eliminate MSTs and deal with the difficulties created by MSTs that have or will occur. Some aspects of the victim, extended family, neighborhood and the Military itself can efficiently establish and enhance this educational program. Simultaneously, other aspects of the victim, extended family, neighborhood and the Military itself pose problems for this educational program. An effective educational program must therefore use and empower those positives while overcoming the negatives and acknowledging the existential realities that cannot be changed.

Approach to Health Education Program

A health education program for military victims of "unwelcome sexual attention including gender harassment, unwanted sexual attention, unwanted sexual attention, sexual coercion, sexual assault, and rape" (Street, Stafford, Mahan, & Hendricks, 2008, p. 409) should include the victim, extended family and neighborhood. It is not enough to simply work with a victim within an extended family and neighborhood that are ignorant of the trauma, effects and treatment. Enhancing the knowledge of the victim's extended family and neighborhood will greatly assist the victim's own education, treatment and recovery. Within this context, the "extended family" and "neighborhood" is not merely the classically understood family members and local civilian neighborhood; rather, the "extended family and "neighborhood" must include the U.S. Military culture. While there is an official "zero tolerance" for sexual abuse in the Military (U.S. Department of Defense, 2010, Part 2. USN: p.6), the high number of MST incidents found during the Veteran Affairs screening from 2003 to 2008 (Hyun, Pavao, & Klinerling, 2009) show a deep-seated problem of MST that must be addressed by continual education in the basics and in treatment refinements as they are developed.

Enforcement of Positive Perceptions, Enablers, Nurturers and Positive Aspects of Cultural Empowerment

The positive perceptions to enforce in this educational program is that of the Military -- including the individual, the extended family and the neighborhood - being culturally empowered to prevent MSTs and deal with the victim and the perpetrators when MST occurs. With the proper education, those same military qualities - courage, respect, honor, discipline and a refusal to accept defeat - that once allowed MSTs and discouraged victims from reporting them can be used as enablers to enforce the Military's zero tolerance of MSTs. In fact, the Military does provide extensive information on the definition, symptoms and treatment of MSTs (U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, 2007, Revised December 20, 2011). The nurturers to enforce for this educational program will be: positive experiences in prevocational training, such as appropriate accommodations and supports; placement services promoting readjustment to civilian life and lessening of negative feelings from MSTs; mental health personnel; vocational counselors; psychologists; rehabilitation counselors (Cater & Leach, 2011).

Fortunately there are many positive aspects of cultural empowerment to enforce. The Military's official insistence on zero tolerance of MSTs is a strong statement enforceable by military discipline. In addition, some educational inroads have been made and will continue to develop creating empowering thoughts and actions to minimize the occurrence and negative impacts of MSTs (Rape Crisis Information Pathfinder, n.d.). Nonjudgmental openness in explanation and engagement when the MST issue is raised is also effective to create awareness of attitudes, stereotypes and expectations, discovery of our own perceptual limitations about MSTs. We can also project an attitude of understanding, recognizing that dealing with MST can be a lifelong struggle. Finally, by setting priorities and taking actions insisting that human dignity, equality and safety from MSTs are non-negotiable, we can be role models reflecting and practicing the values we are trying to teach (The Multicultural Project for Communication and Education, Inc., 1994).

Overcoming negative perceptions and negative aspects of cultural empowerment

There are several classic negative perceptions to overcome in this educational program. The individual, extended family and neighborhood must be educated to counteract the negative perceptions previously engendered by attitudes that "the solder comes second" and "selfless service" and "soldiers do not betray other soldiers" and even the term "victim." Also, the educational program will have to overcome the general perception among Military members that false reports of incidents of military sexual trauma are common (Carter & Leach, 2011, 33). In addition, the educational program must overcome negative aspects of cultural empowerment, such as the Military's, extended families' and neighborhoods' cultures of silence, ignoring the problem, preaching and self-righteousness, fear of tension or conflict, frustration, compartmentalization and alienation of the victim, and their stereotypical and judgmental approach to victims (The Multicultural Project for Communication and Education, Inc., 1994).

Acknowledged but unchanged existential aspects of cultural empowerment

The existential aspects of individual MSTs are the fact that the past cannot be changed and the MST cannot be undone. The existential aspects of the military are that, in some respects, the soldier does come second, the sexes do work together more frequently than in civilian life and the soldier has to adapt to many different situations that might heighten the possibility of MSTs. The existential aspects of the victim's extended family and neighborhood is that some simply will not be educated and others will be educated about MSTs in varying degrees, so the victim will encounter people of all different sensitivities.

Challenges foreseen in planning and implementing health education programs for this cultural group