Justice, once and for all; Tell Congress: Protect Victims of Military Sexual Assault 19NOV13

THE victims of sexual assault in the U.S. Military deserve justice, and the Military Justice Improvement Act will do that. There is a lot of opposition from some in the Pentagon and many, many male members of Congress. We need to let them know we care for and support our troops, and signing this petition will help send a strong message to Congress to get this legislation passed! Please sign and share....

The numbers are shocking:
An estimated 26,000 instances of sexual assault in the military took place last year alone; but just 10 percent were even reported, and then only 302 cases were prosecuted.
We've got to change a broken military justice system where one-in-five servicewomen report experiencing unwanted sexual contact, but where survivors are often too scared to come forward because they fear retaliation.
And we must make sure that decisions about prosecuting cases of sexual assault are based purely on the evidence, not on any other factor.
That's exactly what the bipartisan Military Justice Improvement Act will do -- but we need your help to get it passed, and the vote could come in the next 24 hours.
Sign our petition: Join my colleagues and me in urging the Senate to pass the bipartisan Military Justice Improvement Act now!
The problem of sexual assault in the military is not new. Neither are the pledges of "zero tolerance" that military commanders have been making for over 20 years.
Under the current broken system, senior commanders with little or no legal training have the power to decide whether sexual assault cases go to trial or get swept under the rug. And then, even if an assailant is convicted by a judge or jury, those same commanders can overturn the verdict.
It's outrageous, and our servicemen and servicewomen deserve better.
When the Senate Armed Services Committee voted in June to embrace the status quo, rather than embrace survivors of sexual assault, we vowed we wouldn't back down.
Thanks to the support of over 300,000 Americans -- including you -- who stood with us then, we have been continuing to build support for the bipartisan Military Justice Improvement Act. We didn't give up, and now, we're on the verge of voting -- and we need you to make your voice heard.
Join my colleagues and me before this critical vote: Urge the Senate to pass the Military Justice Improvement Act now.
Together, we can ensure that survivors of military sexual assault receive justice once and for all.
Thank you for taking action for our brave men and women in uniform.