To survivors of military domestic violence, Congress would like to hear your story.
After a House Armed Services subcommittee hearing last year during which military domestic violence was described as a "forgotten crisis," members of Congress asked for an investigation into how the military branches prevent and respond to domestic violence.
"We are here today because domestic violence has become a forgotten crisis in our military," chairwoman Jackie Speier, D-Calif., said in her opening remarks in the hearing last September.
During the hearing, survivors of military domestic violence -- including a civilian spouse and an Army major -- shared their stories. In both cases, early warnings, complaints and reports were ignored by the respective chains of command.
These individuals are not alone -- far from it, in fact. According to a survey conducted by Blue Star Families in 2017, 15 percent of military families reported feeling physically unsafe in relationships.
"The (Department of Defense) must learn to believe women and take action based on their claims and evidence. Favoritism and a complex bureaucracy cannot shield dangerous perpetrators," Speier said during the hearing.
Now, the Government Accountability Office is looking for additional survivors to come forward, share their stories, and provide information for the investigative report due to Congress.
Any individual who is active duty, married to a service member, or the intimate partner of a service member and has personally experienced abuse since September 2014 is invited to be part of the report -- whether or not they reported the abuse. GAO noted that its office cannot discuss any open law enforcement or legal investigations.
The investigation will not focus on the incidents themselves -- rather the GAO is interested in the resources available to those struggling with domestic abuse within the Department of Defense.
"All conversations will be confidential, and we will not report any information that will identify you or anyone else you discuss. Nor will we ask you to describe details of the abuse," the GAO announcement reads.
For more information or to schedule a confidential conversation, survivors are invited to call GAO at 833-919-0680 or email Survivor2020@gao.gov.
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