Sexual Assault Prevention & Response (SAPR) Program

· The purpose of the SAPR Program is to eliminate incidents of sexual assault through a comprehensive program that centers on awareness & prevention, training & education, reporting, response, victim advocacy, and accountability. This program exists while in garrison as well as in the deployed environment.

· The Marine Corps has a very clear policy on sexual assault.

o Sexual assault is a criminal act and every report will be taken seriously.

o All victims will be treated with dignity, fairness, and respect have access to appropriate assistance.

o Commanding officers will take appropriate disciplinary and/or administrative action to hold offenders accountable for the their actions.

· Sexual assault is defined as intentional sexual contact, characterized by use of force, physical threat or abuse of authority or when the victim does not or cannot consent; sexual assault can occur without regard to gender, spousal relationship, or age.

· Consent shall not be deemed or construed to mean the failure by the victim to offer physical resistance. Consent is not given when a perpetrator uses force, threat of force, coercion, or when the victim is asleep, incapacitated, or unconscious.

Victim Reporting Options

· Restricted Reporting Option:

Restricted reporting allows a Marine who is a sexual assault victim to confidentially disclose details of his/her assault to four specifically identified personnel without triggering an investigative process.

To make a restricted report, the victim MUST notify one of the following personnel: Uniform Victim Advocate (UVA), Sexual Assault Response Coordinator (SARC), Civilian Victim Advocate (VA), or Healthcare Provider.

Once a restricted report is filed, a victim can choose at any time to change that report to an unrestricted report.

· Unrestricted Reporting Option:

A Marine who is sexually assaulted and desires official investigation of his/her allegation should make an unrestricted report. The victim may use normal reporting channels (e.g., chain of command, law enforcement, etc).

Details regarding the assault will be limited to only those personnel who have a need to know, including the commander, NCIS, MPs, SARC, VA, chaplain, and healthcare provider.

Once an unrestricted report is filed, the victim cannot change their report to a restricted report.