Biden Signs Executive Order Making Sexual Harassment Offense Under Military Justice
President Joe Biden has signed an Executive Order to amend the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), which makes sexual harassment a specific offense under this law.
It also strengthens the military justice response in prosecuting cases of domestic violence, and fully implements changes to the military justice code to criminalize the wrongful broadcast or distribution of intimate visual images.
The Executive Order is key to advancing the historic, bipartisan military justice reform that Biden signed into law last month through the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
The military justice reform includes the historic shift of legal decisions from commanders to independent, specialized prosecutors in cases of sexual assault, domestic violence, and other serious crimes.
“This historic addition to the UCMJ honors the memory of Army Specialist Vanessa Guillén, whose experience with severe sexual harassment was followed by a brutal murder, catalyzing national attention to the scourge of sexual violence in U.S. military and helping advance bipartisan military justice reform in the NDAA,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said.
The risk for gender-based violence has increased in the United States and around the world during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the White House.
“Today’s Executive Order also reinforces the commitments of the Biden-Harris Administration to supporting survivors by releasing the first-ever National Strategy on Gender Equity and Equality in the United States, which identifies gender-based violence prevention and response as a core strategic priority for President Biden,” it said in a statement. The strategy also names military justice reform as an essential component of elevating gender equality in security processes.
“Today marks another turning point for survivors of gender-based violence in the military. Moving forward, the Administration will continue to advance prevention, promote safe and respectful military climates, and strengthen care and support for survivors,” the statement added.
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