Vanessa Guillen's family on Army sexual assault data: 'You don't sign up to get sexually assaulted'

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A new report released by the Associated Press stated that the number of sexual assault reports has increased, and the family of the slain 20-year soldier Vanessa Guillen is speaking out.

"You don't sign up to get sexually assaulted. You don't sign up to get sexually harassed. That's not a part of your duty," Mayra Guillen, Vanessa's sister, said.

But according to the AP, that is precisely what's happening at U.S. military bases around the United States.

AP reports data from the military shows a 13% increase in sexual assault reports in 2021; in the Army, that number jumped by nearly 26%.

RELATED: Vanessa Guillen legislation which cracks down on how Army handles sexual assault celebrated

In a confidential survey, close to 36,000 service members said they had experienced unwanted sexual contact, which is a dramatic increase from a similar confidential study in 2018 when roughly 20,000 service members responded.

According to the AP, the Army, which is struggling to meet its recruiting goals, is expected to miss the target by at least 10,000.

"I feel like everybody should have their eyes on this because it really does affect our nation's security to some point. I mean, the recruiting numbers are so low," Guillen said.

Vanessa Guillen was a Houston-native soldier, training at Fort Hood before being murdered in 2020. She has become the face of sexual abuse in the military.

Her family is dedicating their lives to changing the culture of victim reporting in the military with the help of the "I Am Vanessa Guillen Act", which passed and went into effect on Jan. 1. The new data shows a rise in sexual assault reports have her sister filled with mixed emotions.

"I honestly think that victims aren't scared anymore. They're not going to hold back. They've had enough. They feel comfortable actually reporting," Guillen said. "It's kind of like a relief, but at the same time, it does show that the problem has not gone away. It's still very persistent, very passive."

"These latest numbers are a further indictment of a broken system that is beneath the sacrifices our brave men and women make to serve our country. This system has willfully allowed the scourge of sexual assault and harassment to fester in our ranks," the Guillen family attorney, Natalie Khawam, said.

"Adding insult to injury, this system re-victimizes service members by forcing them into an unjust legal system that doesn't afford them the basic right to be compensated that everyone has. Even inmates can sue for compensation, and felons who committed crimes have more rights than our soldiers who serve our country. Our soldiers deserve better," Khawam said.

"They fight for our rights and liberties, yet they don't have these same basic human rights we all have. Enough is enough. We need teeth in these laws. Otherwise, the number of victims will continue to skyrocket due to the lack of accountability in this broken system."

They hope additional provisions to the I Am Vanessa Guillen Act will be passed later in 2022 to continue beefing up protections for service members who become victims.

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