The Invisible War
Mon, 1 Apr 2013 7:00 PM
- 9:00 PM
Grafton-Stovall Theatre
From Oscar®-and Emmy®-nominated filmmaker Kirby Dick comes The Invisible War, a groundbreaking
investigative documentary about one of America's most shameful and best
kept secrets: the epidemic of rape within the U.S. military.
The film
paints a startling picture of the extent of the problem - today, a female
soldier in combat zones is more likely to be raped by a fellow soldier
than killed by enemy fire. The Department of Defense estimates there
were a staggering 22,800 violent sex crimes in the military in 2011. 20%
of all active-duty female soldiers are sexually assaulted. Female
soldiers aged 18 to 21 accounted for more than half of the victims.
Focusing on the powerfully emotional stories of rape victims, The
Invisible War is a moving indictment of the systemic cover-up
of military sex crimes, chronicling the women's struggles to
rebuild their lives and fight for justice. It also features
hard-hitting interviews with high-ranking military officials and
members of Congress that reveal the perfect storm of conditions that
exist for rape in the military, its long-hidden history, and what can be
done to bring about much-needed change.
At the core of the film are often heart-rending interviews with the
rape survivors themselves - people like Kori Cioca, who was beaten and
raped by her supervisor in the U.S. Coast Guard; Ariana Klay, a Marine
who served in Iraq before being raped by a senior officer and his
friend, then threatened with death; and Trina McDonald who was drugged
and raped repeatedly by military policemen on her remote Naval station
in Adak, Alaska. And it isn't just women; according to one study's
estimate, one percent of men in the military - nearly 20,000 men - were
reportedly sexually assaulted in 2009.
And while rape victims in the civilian world can turn to an impartial
police force and judicial system for help and justice, rape victims in
the military must turn to their commanders - a move that is all too often
met with foot-dragging at best, and reprisals at worst. Many rape
victims find themselves forced to choose between speaking up and keeping
their careers. Little wonder that only eight percent of military sexual
assault cases are prosecuted.
The Invisible War exposes the epidemic of sexual assault in the
military - one of the most under-reported stories of our generation, a
story the filmmakers are proud to be breaking to the nation and the
world. They hope the film will help lead a national dialogue about the
crime of rape perpetrated on the very people who have pledged to protect
our country and are gratified to see the film is already making an
impact. Since it premiered at Sundance, the film has been circulating
through the highest levels of the Pentagon and the administration.
Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta watched The Invisible War on April 14.
Two days later, he directed military commanders to hand over all sexual
assault investigations to a higher-ranking colonel. At the same time,
Panetta announced that each branch of the armed forces would establish a
Special Victims Unit. While these are promising first steps, much more
needs to be done.
To that end, The Invisible War is a call for our civilian and military leadership to listen. And to act
