There is a great number of social issues that people still cannot eliminate. One of them is the problem of sexual violence and harassment in the U.S. Army – a place where people learn how to protect their county and fellow citizens but cannot feel completely safe themselves. Fortunately, significant efforts are made in order to eliminate this problem; that is why SHARP was created. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the objectives and work of the Army’s program.
The Army’s Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention Program is a proactive and integrated effort to eliminate sexual assault and violence within the U.S. ranks. In the Army, there is no place for sexual harassment, and this program helps the victims and reminds them that they have a voice and the rights. Members of the program assist the victims with receiving advocacy, counseling, medical care, and resources. The prevention and response measures of SHARP include permeating “the Army structure from the Pentagon down to the individual Soldier level” and the work of full-time staff at all available levels (“Sexual harassment/assault response and prevention program,” n.d.). Moreover, the purpose of this program is to educate all military members. Therefore, providing commanders with the necessary training, education, and resources that can help them succeed in addressing sexual assault and harassment in the Army is included in SHARP.
This program makes a significant effort in educating both Soldiers and leaders about sexual violence. It also “promotes cultural change across the Army, with a vision toward a culture of discipline and respect in which Soldiers intervene in sexual harassment and sexual assault to protect one another” (“Sexual harassment/assault response and prevention program,” n.d.). Finally, a special training program that can teach military members to notice serial offender tactics, seek help correctly, disrupt offenders, and stop incidents is employed (Skopp, Roggenkamp, Hoyt, Major, & Williams, 2020). Therefore, the Army’s SHARP Program is a perfect and successful solution that can help eliminate sexual violence in the U.S. ranks.
References
Sexual harassment/assault response and prevention program (SHARP). (n.d.). Web.
Skopp, N. A., Roggenkamp, H., Hoyt, T. V., Major, H. M., & Williams, T. J. (2020). Army sexual harassment/sexual assault response & prevention program (SHARP) tiger team: A model to inform prevention. Military Behavioral Health, 8(1), 64-73.