Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering from the documentary “The Invisible War,” which sheds light on the endemic problem of sexual assault in the US military.

The film has been shaking viewers into action with it’s heart wrenching illumination of the great military shame of sexual violence in its ranks.

Kirby Dick – is an Academy Award-nominated documentary director, one of the most prolific and eclectic filmmakers working in the field today. Dick has been a regular contributor at Sundance Film Festival over the years. His films have screened at the Venice, Berlin, Toronto, San Sebastian, Locarno, Edinburgh, Yamagata Film Festivals and many others as well. His latest film “The Invisible War” received this year’s coveted Audience Award: Documentary at Sundance 2012. Dick is also one of the founders and creative directors of Chain Camera Pictures, a Los Angeles-based company that produces critically acclaimed documentaries for international theatrical and television release.

BYOD is co-hosted by Ondi Timoner, director of “DIG!,” “JOIN US” and “WE LIVE IN PUBLIC,” and has the rare distinction of winning the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance twice, and Vladimir Radovanov, entertainment attorney, and executive producer of “WE LIVE IN PUBLIC.” Each week the show explores a different documentary filmmaker or aspect of filmmaking, with special guests and a live Q&A– diving deep into creative process and the business realities of producing and distributing films. Ondi and Vladimir share their insider views, opinions, and personal stories, welcoming audience participation. BYOD aims to entertain, inform, and elevate documentaries in general by bringing attention to films and film makers that deserve exposure.

FACT SHEET ON DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE ANNUAL REPORT ON
SEXUAL ASSAULT IN THE MILITARY FOR FISCAL 2011

APRIL 13, 2012
The men and women of the U.S. military deserve an environment that is free from the
threat of sexual assault. Service members and their families must feel secure enough to
report this crime without fear of retribution and commanders must hold offenders
appropriately accountable. Under the leadership of the secretary of defense and the
chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the department is actively pursuing additional
policy and training changes to help address this challenging issue.

 
The Ike Skelton National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011 requires the
Department of Defense to submit to the Committees on Armed Services an annual report
on sexual assaults involving members of the armed forces. The report ensures
transparency on sexual assault reports, investigations, and case dispositions of those
accused of the crime. It also provides department and Congressional leadership with
information to evaluate and help address the problem. The reporting period spans from
Oct. 1, 2010 to Sept. 30, 2011.

 
Reporting Data
The military services received a total of 3,192 reports of sexual assault during fiscal
2011. Of the 3,192 reports of sexual assault, 2,439 were unrestricted reports and 753
were restricted reports. This represents a one percent increase since fiscal 2010, when
there were 3,158 reports of sexual assault, consisting of 2,410 unrestricted reports and
748 restricted reports.

 
The department uses the term “sexual assault” to address a range of crimes including
rape, aggravated sexual assault, wrongful sexual contact, non-consensual sodomy,
abusive sexual contact, aggravated sexual contact, and indecent assault. The annual
report includes case synopses, case dispositions, and punishments imposed in cases
involving unrestricted reports.

 
Unrestricted reports result in notification to the victim’s command, the initiation of a law
enforcement investigation, and the provision of care and services to the victim.
Restricted reports of sexual assaults are made to specific parties within the department
(e.g., a sexual assault response coordinator, victim advocate, or medical personnel) and
allow the victim to receive care and services; however, at the victim’s request, these
reports are not investigated because of the victim’s desire for confidentiality. A restricted
report, however, may later be changed by the victim to an unrestricted report.

Investigation Data
The military criminal investigative organizations (MCIOs) such as Criminal Investigation
Division, Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Naval Criminal Investigative Services, completed a total of 2,449 investigations involving 2,933 individuals in fiscal
2011. Of the 2,933 subjects of investigations, case outcomes were completed and
reported on 2,353 subjects during the fiscal year. Case dispositions for the remaining
subjects will be reported in forthcoming years.

 
Based on the completed investigations, the MCIOs provided cases on 1,518 subjects to
commanders to review for possible disciplinary action. The remaining 486 subjects were
found to be outside of the department’s legal authority (e.g., U.S. civilians, foreign
nationals, military subjects prosecuted by civilian or foreign authority, or unidentified
subjects). During the investigation process, the MCIOs determined that allegations
against 349 subjects were unfounded.

 
Disciplinary Actions
Commanders had sufficient evidence to take disciplinary action against 989 of the 1,518
subjects. Of these, 791 were disciplined for a sexual assault offense: 489 subjects had
courts-martial charges preferred against them, 187 subjects received non-judicial
punishment, 48 subjects were administratively discharged, and 67 subjects received other
adverse administrative actions. In addition, commanders took action against 198 subjects
for non-sexual assault offenses discovered during the investigation.

 
The remaining subjects were involved in cases that could not go forward because the
victim declined to participate, there was insufficient evidence to prosecute, the statute of
limitations expired, or the cases were determined by the commander to be unfounded.
Non-judicial punishment and administrative action remain important forms of discipline
in cases where the available evidence or nature of the offense would not warrant criminal
charges in a civilian setting.

 
DoD Safe Helpline
In April 2011, the department launched the DoD Safe Helpline as a crisis support service
for victims of sexual assault. For the first time, the annual report on sexual assault
includes usage statistics of this important service. The helpline is available 24 hours a
day via web, phone, or text message and is operated by the non-profit Rape, Abuse, and
Incest National Network through a contractual agreement with the department. Between
its launch in April 2011 through Sept. 2011, the Safe Helpline assisted more than 770
individuals.

The helpline can be reached at 877-995-5247 or

 
http://www.safehelpline.org .

 
The complete report is available at http://www.sapr.mil .