A new report from the Pentagon found that almost 6,000 U.S. military service members reported sexual assaults in 2014, an eight percent increase from 2013.
While the Pentagon called the increase of reporting "progress," many outside the U.S. Defense Department are appalled that there were 5,983 sexual assault reports, but only 359 convictions, noted RT.com.
In a separate anonymous survey of the U.S. military, the Pentagon found that almost 19,000 troops said they were victims of sexual assault. A whopping 10,500 claims were made by men, while 8,500 came from women.
That is a drop from the 26,000 anonymous troops who said they were sexually assaulted in 2012.
President Obama got these reports from the Pentagon on Tuesday, but it's not clear what he plans to do.
President Obama got these reports from the Pentagon on Tuesday, but it's not clear what he plans to do.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) tried to pass a bill to reform the sexual assault prosecution process, which is controlled by U.S. military commanders, but her proposed law was five votes short in the U.S. Senate earlier this year. Sen. Gillibrand is hoping to pass her bill in 2015 with a GOP-controlled Senate.
"With the new folks that are coming in, with the turnover in leadership," Greg Jacob, of the Service Women's Action Network, told CBS News. "It's an opportunity to engage those newer members."
"The military can make these types of reforms happen once a decision has been made and we're moving forward," added Jacob. "Clearly, the president as Commander-in-Chief is the one who can provide that leadership."