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[0] HEARING OF THE NATIONAL SECURITY AND FOREIGN AFFAIRS SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE HOUSE OVERSIGHT AND GOVERNMENT REFORMS COMMITTEE SUBJECT: SEXUAL ASSAULT IN THE MILITARY PART III: CONTEXT AND CAUSES CHAIRED BY: REPRESENTATIVE JOHN TIERNEY (D-MA) WITNESSES: VERONIQUE VALLIERE, PSY.D., PRESIDENT, VALLIERE AND COUNSELING ASSOCIATES, INC.; FRED BERLIN, PH.D., FOUNDER, THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY, PREVENTION,... (Part 9).

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HEARING OF THE NATIONAL SECURITY AND FOREIGN AFFAIRS SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE HOUSE OVERSIGHT AND GOVERNMENT REFORMS COMMITTEE SUBJECT: SEXUAL ASSAULT IN THE MILITARY PART III: CONTEXT AND CAUSES CHAIRED BY: REPRESENTATIVE JOHN TIERNEY (D-MA) WITNESSES: VERONIQUE VALLIERE, PSY.D., PRESIDENT, VALLIERE AND COUNSELING ASSOCIATES, INC.; FRED BERLIN, PH.D., FOUNDER, THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY, PREVENTION, AND TREATMENT OF SEXUAL TRAUMA, DIRECTOR, THE JOHNS HOPKINS SEXUAL DISORDERS CLINIC; ELIZABETH HILLMAN, PH.D., J.D., LAW PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA HASTINGS; HELEN BENEDICT, AUTHOR, "THE LONELY SOLDIER: THE PRIVATE WAR OF WOMEN SERVING IN IRAQ," PROFESSOR OF JOURNALISM, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY LOCATION: 2247 RAYBURN HOUSE OFFICE BUILDING, WASHINGTON, D.C. TIME: 2:00 P.M. EDT DATE: THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 2009(Part 9)

In my testimony I equated it similar to a prison culture, but we could also equate it to a college fraternity culture in which there is certain cultural challenges and certain aspects of that culture that not only attracts certain personalities that can be problematic, but separate the victim from certain types of resources that they might otherwise have.

So it takes all the stereotypes, myths, everything we have, including the socio-cultural elements of male domination, degradation of women, and vulnerability, the group psychology, and it magnifies those and offers us particular challenges in not only the -- like I described, as the collusion and collaboration of the environment with a certain personality to create an offender, but then a certain collaboration with the offender to protect them from prosecution and to separate the victim from their supports.

DR. BERLIN: I think your example also demonstrates a tremendous need for education. And I'm hearing somebody is equating physical...

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