Military Domestic Violence

Learn about Domestic Violence and Abuse in the Military...

military domestic violence

Consider patrolling high combat zones in Iraq or Afghanistan, constantly vigilant against hitting an Improvised Explosive Device, searching for those hiding, aiming to kill or be killed, and then a week later finding yourself back home, bills mounting, family members angry and stressed, a marriage struggling to survive.

Families that have lived through eight years of war, and multiple deployments, know this situation all too well. Even worse is when a service member returns home emotionally or physically wounded from combat, creating another layer of seemingly unmanageable stress.

Unfortunately in many of these situations, domestic violence often follows. Even though domestic violence is never acceptable, mental health professionals know firsthand how the kind of intense stress experienced by military members often leads to abusive behaviors - especially when the warrior has untreated mental health issues from his or her earlier life.

Domestic violence includes the willful intimidation, physical assault and battery against an intimate partner or child. It also includes emotionally abusive and controlling behavior that establishes a pattern of dominance and control, according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV).

Statistics pertaining only to military domestic violence cases are not tracked, but the NCADV reports that nationally one out of four women experience domestic violence in their lifetimes; 85% of domestic violence victims are women, 15% are men.

In the 2008 New York Times article "When Strains on Military Families Turn Deadly," the authors state that studies show the links between combat experience, trauma, and domestic violence. Citing a 2006 study in The Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, the article said that 80% of those with post traumatic stress disorder committed at least one domestic violent act in the previous year. The study focused on veterans at a Veterans Affairs medical center who sought marital counseling between 1997 and 2003, and found that those with PTSD were "significantly more likely to perpetrate violence toward their partner."

Studies like these, and reports by those who work with military personnel and their families, have many mental health practitioners, military leaders, and policymakers concerned, and determined to find solutions for countless victims - before it's too late.

The NYT article detailed several instances where mental health problems associated with the Iraq and Afghanistan wars led to devastating, deadly homicides - with a service member killing his spouse, or child, and sometimes turning the gun on himself afterwards.

Homicide is, undoubtedly, the worst possible outcome for domestic violence left untreated and not properly handled. But many more less publicized cases of military domestic violence affect the daily lives of men, women and children. These cases take the form of punching, baby shaking, battering, lying, punched walls, broken bones, bruising, financial control, biting, silent treatment, and a host of other detrimental, abusive behaviors.

Exacerbating this problem, most cases of domestic violence aren't reported to the police - a ubiquitous national problem but one especially prevalent in the military culture. Military families, spouses, and other intimate partners are afraid to report incidences of abusive behavior because they feel it will negatively affect the alleged perpetrator's military career, and also their own financial security.

Acknowledging that seeking help for domestic violence and abuse is extremely difficult for most victims, David Lloyd, director of the Defense Department's Family Advocacy Program, said that the department has steps in place to help victims.

Making his statements during the observance of Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October 2009, Lloyd said that the Family Advocacy Program, or FAP, helps victims come forward with their accounts.

The program is available on each military base or installation, and consists of coordinated efforts designed to prevent, identify, report and treat all aspects of child abuse and neglect, and domestic abuse. Each base also has a victim's advocate, and some have military life consultants, who work with the unit's FAP.

Victim's advocates and military life consultants are licensed counselors, psychologists and social workers well acquainted with and knowledgeable about the process that military personnel and their families can take to address domestic violence. They also have a list of resources, therapists, and shelters that will aid victims and their families.

Advocates and consultants work with the victim, advising the individual of available options. To start, the individual has two choices of dealing with the problem: filing a restricted report, or filing an unrestricted report.

Victims afraid of negative repercussions can make a restricted report, ensuring that military law enforcement and the military commander are not notified (unless the advocate or consultant fears for the health and safety of the victim or another person). In these cases, victims work exclusively with advocates or consultants, who guide them on individual safety planning, counseling services, referrals to community resources or classes and services offered by the base's FAP.

The second option, unrestricted reporting, requires the notification of law enforcement and the commander. In these cases, a formal report is usually issued, and an investigation follows. If the allegations prove to be true, the incident is recorded in the service member's personnel file, and it's up to the commander on what actions need to be taken against the perpetrator.

In unrestricted cases, commanders can issue military protective orders keeping the perpetrator away from the victim. Commanders can also restrict service members to their barracks, and ask them to surrender firearms, and order them to seek counseling and treatment from an FAP clinician.

"Victim advocates and military life consultants also are available to help a victim through the process no matter which report they choose to file," Lloyd said. "Should a victim want to seek shelter, the advocate or a Family Advocacy Program clinician would help her get to a shelter off the military installation."

For those who fear the loss of financial security by filing an unrestrictive report, commanders are authorized to pay for the victim's transportation to a safe place, and pay for the shipping of household goods.

"The commander can also authorize the victim to receive up to 36 months of transitional compensation based on the service member's pay to help the victim get a new start," Lloyd said. "We want the victim not to fear that she's so dependent on the service member's pay that she has to suffer in silence," he added.

Once an unrestricted report is filed and an investigation occurs, a military committee hears the evidence and decides if the charges have been substantiated. The committee members include representatives from the FAP, law enforcement, staff judge advocate, medical staff and chaplain.

Based on the committee's recommendation, the commander determines what action needs to be taken. If the charges are substantiated, disciplinary procedures under the Uniform Code of Military Justice can be imposed.

The military's strategy for prevention, identification, and intervention of domestic violence and abuse hinges on its FAP or Family Advocacy Program, and this program operates under the guidance of qualified mental health professionals. These professionals have many titles - psychologist, counselor, social worker, marital counselor and chaplain - but regardless of their professional names, these positions require a background in psychology.

If you want to work helping victims and their families on issues of domestic violence and abuse, consider a career that requires a solid background in psychology. Request information from schools offering degrees in psychology, and get started on this important career today.