NEWS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, April 24, 2012 CONTACT: Katy Otto, Service Womens Action Network: 240/478-9387 (cell) katy@servicewomen.org PRESIDENT OBAMA COMMENTS ON MILITARY SEXUAL ASSAULT, PRAISING SECRETARY OF DEFENSE PANETTA AND CHAIRMAN OF JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF DEMPSEY FOR RECENT POLICY CHANGES SWAN Applauds Commander in Chief for Public Statement on Rape in Military WASHINGTON, DC Yesterday afternoon President Barack Obama issued his first public statement on sexual assault in the military since taking office in 2008, congratulating Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey for announcing recent DOD-wide sexual assault policy changes that include the elevation of sexual assault case disposition to the Colonel rank. The men and women of the United States military deserve an environment that is free from the threat of sexual assault, and in which allegations of sexual assault are thoroughly investigated, offenders are held appropriately accountable, and victims are given the care and support they need, President Obama said. Anu Bhagwati, former Marine Corps captain and executive director of Service Womens Action Network said, We applaud the President for addressing the issue of rape and sexual assault in the U.S. military. We particularly commend him for acknowledging that survivors deserve a system of justice they can have confidence in and that holds perpetrators accountable for their crimes. SWAN met with White House staff on three occasions to brief them on military sexual assault. In the most recent meeting, executive director Anu Bhagwati expressed the urgent need for the Commander in Chief to speak about this issue to the hundreds of thousands of survivors and family members affected by this crisis. We sincerely hope that this is the beginning of President Obamas increased engagement on ending sexual violence in the Armed Forces, Bhagwati said. SWAN has extended an invitation to the White House to attend Truth and Justice: The 2012 Summit on Military Sexual Violence the first mass convening of military sexual assault

survivors on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, May 8th and has also invited the First Lady to meet with a group of assault survivors. For further information, read SWANs recent briefing paper on the 2011 DOD Report on Sexual Assault here. SWAN is a national civil rights organization founded and led by women veterans. SWANs vision is to transform military culture by securing equal opportunity and the freedom to serve in uniform without threat of harassment, discrimination, intimidation or assault. SWAN also seeks to reform veterans' services on a national scale to guarantee equal access to quality health care, benefits and resources for women veterans and their families. You can follow Service Womens Action Network on Twitter at http://twitter.com/servicewomen, or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/servicewomen. ###