Women still comprise only a small percentage of military troops, about 1 out of 10 in Iraq. In a new book titled The Lonely Soldier: The Private War of Women Serving in Iraq, Helen Benedict interviews 40 women who served in Iraq.
Of the 40 interviewed, Ms. Benedict discovered that 28 were raped, sexually assaulted, or sexually harassed while serving their country.
In its 2009 annual report, the Department of Defense estimates that 90% of military sexual assaults are never reported.
Now that the government has acknowledged this disgrace, will anything be done to protect these brave women who risk their lives for the love of a country that is ignoring them? We can only hope.
Read the article on BBC: