Women in the military have it hard enough – trying to make their way in a traditionally-male dominated field, going into countries that often don’t accept women in these types of roles. But many of them also are victims of sexual trauma, harassment and rape, as well.

Reuters reports that nearly 15 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans - men and women - seeking medical care from the U.S. Veterans Affairs Department have suffered "military sexual trauma." And that number only includes those who report their victimization, and doesn’t include active-duty personnel. There are about 190,000 women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Experts agree that many victims don’t report their abuse.

The term "military sexual trauma" is defined by law as sexual harassment, sexual assault, rape and other acts of violence of a sexual or sexually biased nature. It can also be repeated unsolicited, verbal or physical contact of a sexual nature toward a male or female which becomes threatening. In Iraq and Afghanistan, women are not only victims of rape or sexual harassment of their fellow soldiers, but also by local residents. 

Rachel Kimerling of the National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System in California, and other officials stress that there are many ways veterans can seek help if they are victims of such trauma. Kimerling’s center also has a Women’s Trauma Recovery Program, which includes treatment of military sexual trauma. Other VA centers, such as the one in New York and New Jersey, also have specialized women veterans health-care programs. Every VA facility in the U.S. has services for sexual trauma, which can also lead to depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, drug abuse, problems with personal relationships, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

"We are, in fact, detecting men and women who seem to have a significant need for mental health services," Kimerling told Reuters. "If you think about military service where you are living and working so closely with the same people, that even if it is not sexual assault … it is possible that severe sexual harassment is just as traumatic."

Here’s a PBS report from September 2007 on rape in the military. It reports that one out of every seven female soldiers was raped during the first Gulf War. Medical experts said you’re four times more likely to develop post-traumatic stress disorder from being a victim of sexual assault than combat.