WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Department data show the children of service members are sexually assaulted hundreds of times each year.
The abuse of military dependents is committed most often by male enlisted troops, according to the data provided exclusively to The Associated Press. More than 61 percent of the cases involved parents sexually abusing their children.
The figures offer greater insight into the sexual abuse of children committed by service members, a problem of uncertain scale due to a lack of transparency in the military’s legal proceedings. With more than 1 million military dependents, the number of cases appears statistically small. But for a profession that prides itself on honor and discipline, any episodes of abuse cast a pall.
An AP investigation published in November found more inmates are in military prisons for child sex crimes than for any other offense.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.