Allegations of Sexual Harassment Rocking the National Security World

More than 220 women in the National Security community have come forward saying they have been harassed, assaulted or know someone in the security world who has.

The women signed an open letter on November 28, 2017.

The letter states women are being driven out of the field by men who "use their power to assault at one end of the spectrum and perpetuate – sometimes unconsciously – environments that silence, demean, belittle or neglect women at the other."

The letter, first reported by Time.com, goes on to say that assault "is the progression of the same behaviors that permit us to be denigrated, interrupted, shut out, and shut up," which fosters an environment that lets sexual harassment and assault "take hold," the letter reads.

The institutions named in the letter include the Pentagon, the State Department, USAID, Homeland Security, intelligence community and National Security Council.

The women say despite these organizations having sexual harassment policies, they argue "these policies are weak, under-enforced, and can favor perpetrators. The existence of policies, even good ones, is not enough," they say.

The letter from the National Security Community wants the following actions:

- Clear leadership from the top that these behaviors are unacceptable
- Creating multiple, clear, private channels to report abuse without fear of retribution
- External, independent mechanisms to collect data on claims and publish them anonymously
- Mandatory, regular training for all employees
- Mandatory exit interviews for all women leaving Federal service

The letter also gives the statistic that only 30% of the leadership in federal agencies is made up of women. The letter states that women are leaving the agencies because of this sexual harassment and want this statistic changed.

The women who signed the letter are diplomats, civil servants, members of the military, staffers, contractors or development workers.