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U.S. NEWS Friday 11 September 2020
Pentagon watchdog: More child sex assault reforms are needed

By JUSTIN PRITCHARD and and cut off your head."
REESE DUNKLIN A top administrator for the
Associated Press Department of Defense
For the second time this Education Activity, known
year, an independent fed- as DoDEA, told the inspec-
eral review has faulted the tor general's office that
U.S. Department of Defense principals had "professional
for how it has responded discretion" to decide what
when children on military to report. School staff were
bases sexually assault each quoted as saying policies
other. "did not contain sufficient
A report released Wednes- detail" to know when to do
day by the Pentagon's Of- so, while others said "they
fice of Inspector General were not aware" of the re-
said leaders have down- quirements.
played incidents, not co- The inspector general's of-
operated with civilian law fice acknowledged im-
enforcement and until re- provements DoDEA has
cently failed to provide made in its policies to en-
support services to victims. sure sexual assaults are
More than 1 million school- This March 27, 2008, file photo shows the Pentagon in Washington. Associated Press flagged, but recommend-
age children live in military ed further changes to limit
families—many on U.S. Pentagon-funded schools ers generally did not hold thorities about cases. school officials' discretion
bases where, as in broad- that educate students on juvenile offenders account- The inspector general's of- and clarify when law en-
er society, kids and teens installations worldwide, the able," the inspector gener- fice identified 600 miscon- forcement is alerted.
sometimes sexually assault inspector general's office al's report said. duct cases between 2015 "Military kids shouldn't be
their peers. An Associated recommended. Military authorities have and 2017 that met the less safe than civilian kids,
Press investigation found The Senate Armed Services started making some Pentagon school system's and that's how the DoD
that those incidents were Committee also asked for changes, with a focus in criteria for a "serious inci- school system appears to
typically lost in a legal and the inspector general's re- the Army and elsewhere on dent" report. Yet campus operate," said Sen. Joni
bureaucratic netherworld, view. It was external scru- revising written policies for administrators failed to sub- Ernst, R-Iowa, an Armed
where authorities failed to tiny that the Pentagon did how to handle and track mit reports on 522 cases to Services Committee mem-
aid victims and offenders not want. reports. The Family Advo- headquarters, according ber. "I want to make sure
rarely faced consequenc- Like a February assess- cacy Program, the military's to the inspector general's those who have failed to
es beyond barring them ment by the Government equivalent of social servic- office. Administrators were report sexual misconduct
from base. The Pentagon Accountability Office, the es, says it now offers coun- even less likely to tell law against children be held re-
didn't know the scope of a Pentagon's watchdog re- seling for victims in these enforcement or base com- sponsible."
problem it did little to track. ported that authorities min- kinds of assaults. manders, who weren't noti- Many other assaults hap-
Congress responded by imized incidents at nearly Administrators at base fied in 593 of the 600 cases. pened outside school
requiring a series of re- every stage. One result was schools, which educate Unlike AP's investigation, grounds. In those investi-
forms starting in fall 2018. To that cases rarely made it to more than 70,000 kids, also that count included inci- gations, base law enforce-
build on the initial reforms, civilian courts, which can have revised policies. The dents beyond sexual as- ment authorities did not re-
the Defense Department provide justice both for vic- report found school staff of- sault. In one unreported liably tell their civilian coun-
should create military-wide tims and offenders. ten had mischaracterized case, a student threatened terparts, who have legal ju-
policies and limit the dis- "Civilian legal authorities sexual assaults internally a child by saying, "I'll bring risdiction over civilian family
cretion of administrators in and installation command- and rarely told outside au- a knife to school tomorrow members on bases.q

U.S. will end current health screening of some travelers

WASHINGTON (AP) — The infected people show no barred entry to the country.
United States plans to end symptoms. The Homeland Security De-
enhanced health screen- The health agency said in- partment did not immedi-
ing of travelers from certain stead it will focus on other ately respond to a request
countries next week, and measures including a stron- for comment.
those visitors will no longer ger response to reports of A trade group representing
be funneled through 15 illness at airports, collecting the nation's largest carriers
large U.S. airports. passenger-contact elec- praised the change.
Those requirements were tronically to avoid long "We continue to support
imposed in February to lines, and "potential testing spending scarce screening
prevent the spread of CO- to reduce the risk of travel- resources where they can
VID-19. The Centers for Dis- related transmission" of the best be utilized," Airlines
ease Control and Preven- virus. for America said in a state- In this June 26, 2017, file photo, a sign for International Arrivals is
tion said the government The extra health screen- ment Thursday, "and, given displayed at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Seattle.
will remove those edicts ing applies to people who the extremely low number Associated Press
beginning Monday. have been in China, Iran, of passengers identified by
The CDC said the current most countries in continen- the CDC as potentially hav- airline groups asked the more screening could al-
screening, which includes tal Europe, the United King- ing a health issue, agree administration to start pre- low countries to lift travel
temperature checks and dom, Ireland and Brazil. that it no longer makes flight virus testing as a way restrictions and quarantines
travelers vouching for their Most people coming from sense to continue screen- to reopen international that have shut down most
health, "has limited effec- those countries who aren't ing at these airports." travel. travel between the U.S.
tiveness" because some U.S. citizens have been Separately, 18 travel and The groups argue that and Europe.q