Photo By Staff Sgt. Aubrey White | U.S. Air Force Capt. Michael McDonald, 633rd Air Base Wing chaplain, discusses the...... read more read more
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LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. – U.S. Air Force airmen from the 633rd Air Base Wing Legal office teamed up with Sexual Assault Response Coordinators to teach junior enlisted airmen about the consequences of sexual assault at Langley Air Force Base, March 21.
More than 20 first-term airmen participated in the scenario as a part of the “Got Consent?” program, which gave them a first-hand look into an actual sexual assault case that took place at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany.
According to U.S. Air Force Capt. Matthew Simonds, 633rd ABW Judge Advocate chief of adverse actions, the “Got Consent?” program was designed to promote awareness, discussion and training about ways people communicate, and ultimately what happens when consent is not given for a sexual encounter.
Before the trial began, Capt. John Riley, 633rd ABW SARC, led the group in an icebreaker session to create a relaxed atmosphere. Those in attendance introduced themselves shared personal facts.
Once in a more comfortable setting, audience members watched and discussed videos depicting reenacted events that led to the assault.
Capt. Michael McDonald, chaplain, talked about the differences in communication between the male and female airmen in the video.
“People interpret [signals] – very differently – so you must define the relationship,” he said. “In the video, [the male] was communicating that he wanted more but [the female] was also giving out [negative] cues he wasn’t picking up on.”
Airmen were also able to see when alcohol was added to the miscommunication mix, the situation became elevated and a sexual encounter occurred without consent.
“Society tends to think of sexual assault as being done by a perpetrator jumping out of a bush wearing a ski mask, but the harsh reality is perpetrators are usually acquainted with victims and take advantage of that position of trust,” Simonds explained.
Because of this common misconception, this type of case, which occurred between a male and female who were close friends living in the base dormitories, made it the model scenario for first-term airmen to learn from.
After hearing the case and deliberating on the evidence presented, the airmen reached a verdict – arriving at the same conclusion as the real-life case. Many airmen then voiced their opinions about what they would have done if they were in a similar circumstance, like directly communicating their feelings, or lack of feelings, for one another.
Overall, those in attendance thought the program met its goal of teaching them the consequences of sexual assault.
“I think the training was very informative because it really made [the airmen] think,” said Airman 1st Class Felicia Singleton, 438th Supply Chain Squadron F-15 stock requisitioner. “[The trial] not only allowed us to see the legal part, but we also got to look at the moral standpoint of cases that deal with sexual assault. It was a good opportunity to learn and become better wingmen.”
For more information about the Sexual Assault Prevention Program, call the SAPR office at 225-4360, or call 764-7272 to reach the SARC hotline.
| Date Taken: | 03.25.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 03.25.2014 14:17 |
| Story ID: | 122524 |
| Location: | LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, VA, US |
| Web Views: | 152 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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