SHARP Program

           Hi everyone!! Today is the last of the ten posts for my University work. This week I want to talk about one serious situation that the U.S. Army has and affect U.S troops around the world. The problem is the sexual harassment and sexual assault and the program that the U.S. Army created is named Sexual Harassment/ Assault Respond & Prevention (SHARP). I know that if you are a soldier you should take a lot of presentation and courses about this situation. Today I want dedicate this post to civilian people that don’t know about this program and the things that it offers for personal or some friend can uses.

            In February 6, 2004 a task force reviewed Army policies on reporting and addressing allegations of sexual assault. The information that this team prepare let to the Army create Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) program. When the sexual harassment is looked as a potential precursor to assault, the SARP office is restructured and integrated to POSH forming the Army’s SHARP program. This program offers orientation and gives information to all military personnel around the world to avoid and reduce the sexual problems in the U.S. Army duties. The first thing that they explain you is what is sexual harassment? Well, the U.S. Army understands that sexual harassment “is a form of gender discrimination that involves unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature between the same or opposite genders.” The types could be: Hostile Environment and the other is Quid pro quo (this for that).  Also the categories are: verbal, nonverbal and unwelcomed physical contact. Everybody could be affected by this situation not only females. The other point is the sexual assault and the Army describes it as “Intentional sexual contact characterized by use of force, threats, intimidation, or abuse of authority or when the victim does not or cannot consent. Sexual assault includes rape, forcible sodomy (oral or anal sex), and other unwanted sexual contact that is aggravated, abusive, or wrongful (including unwanted and inappropriate sexual contact), or attempts to commit these acts.” Also affected both gender!! I repeat these words because sometime we think that this problem affects only females, but while women suffer more this situation, men also suffer it.

            The program is a good tool to decrease this behavior that put low the moral and the image of our soldiers. The high level leaders give strong orders of act and resolve these cases before something bad occur. For example weeks ago I went to ROTC training and the words of our Battalion Commander were “If any of you practice discriminates or sexual harassment, I will put you out of the program”. These words show us the important of this situation in the Army. Some high rank soldier had been put out of the Army because not resolve situation in their units or practice a sexual behavior with their elements. Sometime we hate the SHARP orientation because are the same information one and another time, but while this problem continue we will continue to take this training constantly. Let’s put the name of the Army high!!!

Sexual Harassment/ Assault Response & Prevention (SHARP) (2015). U.S. Army. May 6, 2015, complied from: http://www.sexualassault.army.mil/index.cfm

US Army SHARP Program (Sept.14,2014) SHARP Brigade Video Contest. May 6, 2015, complied from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ThbwjMz3FE