Female lawmakers applaud Oscar nod for ‘The Invisible War’

{mosads}Military sexual trauma (MST) is the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) term used to refer to rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment that occurred during military service.

Female lawmakers have been particularly concerned with pressing the military to address the frequency of sexual violence in the military. Tsongas, along with Reps. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) and Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif.) and others, are interviewed in the film. The documentary points out that the number of rapes reported by military service members is twice that of the civilian population, and the number of incidents actually reported is likely around 10 percent of the total.

The film urges action to curb the high rate of sexual assault in the military and criticizes the military’s current attitude toward the problem.