Restricted Reporting

Restricted reporting allows sexual assault victims to confidentially disclose the assault to specified individuals (i.e., SARC, SAPR victim advocate, chaplain or healthcare personnel), and to receive medical treatment, including emergency care, counseling, and assignment of a SARC and SAPR victim advocate without triggering an investigation. It is intended to give the victim (survivor) time and control over the release of their information. Further, it also empowers the survivor to make an informed decision about participating in the criminal process. 

Restricted reporting is available for:

• All active-duty service members and their dependents over the age of 18
• Air Reserve and ANG members in Title 10 status
• Air Force civilian employees (appropriated and non-appropriated)

Unrestricted Reporting

Unrestricted reporting is any report of sexual assault made through normal reporting channels — for example, reports to chain-of-command, security forces and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. This reporting option triggers an investigation, command notification, and allows a person who has been sexually assaulted to access medical treatment and counseling. 

Unrestricted reporting is available for:

• All active-duty service members and their dependents over the age of 18
• Air Reserve and ANG members in Title 10 status
• Air Force civilian employees (appropriated and non-appropriated)
• DoD civilian employee dependents 18 years of age and older when they are stationed or performing duties outside the continental United States
• U.S. citizen DoD contractor personnel when in a contingency operation outside the continental United States

Independent Reporting

Independent reporting is an assault reported by someone other than the victim. 

Sexual Assault

Sexual assault is criminal conduct which falls well short of the standards America expects of its men and women in uniform, and is a violation of our Air Force core values. 

Sexual assault is defined as intentional sexual contact characterized by use of force, threats, intimidation or abuse of authority, or when the victim does not or cannot consent. The term includes a broad category of sexual offenses consisting of the following specific UCMJ offenses: rape, sexual assault, aggravated sexual contact, abusive sexual contact, forcible sodomy (forced oral or anal sex), or attempts to commit these offenses. 

Consent

Consent is words or overt acts indicating a freely given agreement to the sexual conduct at issue by a competent person. An expression of lack of consent through words or conduct means there is no consent. Lack of verbal or physical resistance or submission resulting from the accused's use of force, threat of force, or placing another person in fear does not constitute consent. A current or previous dating relationship or the manner of dress of the person involved with the accused in the sexual conduct at issue does not constitute consent. There is no consent where the person is sleeping or incapacitated, such as due to age, alcohol or drugs, or mental incapacity. 

• Active bystander intervention encourages people to identify situations that may lead to a sexual assault and then safely intervene to prevent an assault from occurring.
• It also discourages victim blaming by switching the focus of prevention to what a community of people can do collectively. 
• The approach also allows for a change in cultural expectations by empowering everyone to say or do something when they see inappropriate or harmful behavior. 
• This method of intervention places the responsibility of sexual assault prevention on both men and women.