Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) said Sunday that she would sign legislation protecting sexual assault victims in the military because there must be a “true path for justice” in a culture that stigmatizes reporting assault. “As a fellow service member, we have lived through experiences ourselves and things our fellow brothers and sisters have gone through,” Gabbard, an Army veteran of the Iraq War, said during a CNN presidential town hall at the South by Southwest Conference on Sunday. “Unfortunately, there is a lack of recognition of the serious change that needs to take place for there to be a true path for justice for victims of sexual assault in the military.”The 2020 Democratic candidate’s response came after she was asked by a retired US Marine officer whether she supports the Military Justice Improvement Act, which seeks to move the decision-making authority on whether to prosecute sexual assault to independent military prosecutors. “This legislation is so important,” Gabbard said. “Because it provides that path outside of the chain of command where you know that there is no one, whether it’s your team leader, or platoon leader, or your first sergeant or your commander, there is no one who will be able to stop your pursuit of justice and accountability if you’re a victim of assault in the military.”

Source: Huffington Post March 11, 2019 02:03 UTC