Safety First: Understanding The Sharp Program

SHARP, the Army's Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention program, is meant to curb and avoid any sexual assault before they take place. Preventing sexual harassment and assaults is very important to enhance military readiness and promote unit cohesion. Despite effective policies in SHARP, incidents of sexual assault and sexual violence are on the rise. It is essential to accentuate the urgency of the issue and change the Army's culture to curb sexual harassment and assault.

SHARP advocates every Army team member to always be treated with respect and dignity and in all circumstances. As there is a link between sexual harassment and sexual assault, the POSH and the Army's SAPR programs have been merged as the SHARP program. It is essential to understand and reinforce the prevention strategies, messages, and ideas discussed in SHARP. Even though the SHARP program is effective in spreading awareness regarding sexual assault and sexual violence in the Army, it has not been completely successful in influencing the Army as a whole and changing its culture that is conducive to harassment and assault.

Although SHARP has been put in place since 2008, the Department of Defense research shows that there is no decline in the prevalence of sexual assault and harassment over the years. The Army and military's prevailing perceived cultural norms perpetuate the concepts of male masculinity and promote gender inequality. Even though the SHARP program is effective in spreading awareness about sexual assault and sexual violence in the Army, it has not been entirely successful in influencing the Army as a whole and change its culture conducive to harassment and assault.

The Department of Defense encourages greater reporting of sexual assault and harassment and hold alleged offenders accountable. Service members report an increase in the number of sexual assaults by 3 percent in 2019 compared to 2018. The Servicemembers consider their unit commanders the primary driving factors behind encouraging the sexual assaults within the unit. When the commanders do not emphasize the sexual assault program's significance, the unit's collective emphasis falters. First responders have concerns about confidentiality breaches and third-party disclosures that can pose a challenge to reporting.

There are two recommendations to improve further and strengthen the SHARP program. It's important to place a greater educational focus on the issue to create a sense of urgency and secondly, build trust with effective communication.

To end up, it is essential to develop a sense of urgency about the sexual assault and harassment issues in the Army's mindset and culture. The sense of urgency among the leaders, members, stakeholders will lower the potential for complacency and become a momentum for change. When a sense of urgency prevails throughout the Army, it can take proactive actions.