§1902. Policy on sexual harassment and sexual violence

§1902. Policy on sexual harassment and sexual violence

(a) Required Policy.—The Commandant shall direct the Superintendent of the Coast Guard Academy to prescribe a policy on sexual harassment and sexual violence applicable to the cadets and other personnel of the Academy.

(b) Matters To Be Specified in Policy.—The policy on sexual harassment and sexual violence under this section shall include specification of the following:

(1) Programs to promote awareness of the incidence of rape, acquaintance rape, and other sexual offenses of a criminal nature that involve cadets or other Academy personnel.

(2) Information about how the Coast Guard and the Academy will protect the confidentiality of victims of sexual harassment or sexual violence, including how any records, statistics, or reports intended for public release will be formatted such that the confidentiality of victims is not jeopardized.

(3) Procedures that cadets and other Academy personnel should follow in the case of an occurrence of sexual harassment or sexual violence, including—

(A) if the victim chooses to report an occurrence of sexual harassment or sexual violence, a specification of the individual or individuals to whom the alleged offense should be reported and options for confidential reporting, including written information to be given to victims that explains how the Coast Guard and the Academy will protect the confidentiality of victims;

(B) a specification of any other individual whom the victim should contact; and

(C) procedures on the preservation of evidence potentially necessary for proof of criminal sexual assault.

(4) Procedures for disciplinary action in cases of criminal sexual assault involving a cadet or other Academy personnel.

(5) Sanctions authorized to be imposed in a substantiated case of sexual harassment or sexual violence involving a cadet or other Academy personnel, including with respect to rape, acquaintance rape, or other criminal sexual offense, whether forcible or nonforcible.

(6) Required training on the policy for all cadets and other Academy personnel who process allegations of sexual harassment or sexual violence involving a cadet or other Academy personnel.

(c) Assessment.—

(1) In general.—The Commandant shall direct the Superintendent to conduct at the Academy during each Academy program year an assessment to determine the effectiveness of the policies of the Academy with respect to sexual harassment and sexual violence involving cadets or other Academy personnel.

(2) Biennial survey.—For the assessment at the Academy under paragraph (1) with respect to an Academy program year that begins in an odd-numbered calendar year, the Superintendent shall conduct a survey of cadets and other Academy personnel—

(A) to measure—

(i) the incidence, during that program year, of sexual harassment and sexual violence events, on or off the Academy reservation, that have been reported to an official of the Academy; and

(ii) the incidence, during that program year, of sexual harassment and sexual violence events, on or off the Academy reservation, that have not been reported to an official of the Academy; and

(B) to assess the perceptions of the cadets and other Academy personnel with respect to—

(i) the Academy's policies, training, and procedures on sexual harassment and sexual violence involving cadets or other Academy personnel;

(ii) the enforcement of such policies;

(iii) the incidence of sexual harassment and sexual violence involving cadets or other Academy personnel; and

(iv) any other issues relating to sexual harassment and sexual violence involving cadets or other Academy personnel.

(d) Report.—

(1) In general.—The Commandant shall direct the Superintendent to submit to the Commandant a report on sexual harassment and sexual violence involving cadets or other Academy personnel for each Academy program year.

(2) Report specifications.—Each report under paragraph (1) shall include, for the Academy program year covered by the report, the following:

(A) The number of sexual assaults, rapes, and other sexual offenses involving cadets or other Academy personnel that have been reported to Academy officials during the Academy program year and, of those reported cases, the number that have been substantiated.

(B) A plan for the actions that are to be taken in the following Academy program year regarding prevention of and response to sexual harassment and sexual violence involving cadets or other Academy personnel.

(3) Biennial survey.—Each report under paragraph (1) for an Academy program year that begins in an odd-numbered calendar year shall include the results of the survey conducted in that Academy program year under subsection (c)(2).

(4) Transmission of report.—The Commandant shall transmit each report received by the Commandant under this subsection, together with the Commandant's comments on the report, to—

(A) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate; and

(B) the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives.

(5) Focus groups.—

(A) In general.—For each Academy program year with respect to which the Superintendent is not required to conduct a survey at the Academy under subsection (c)(2), the Commandant shall require focus groups to be conducted at the Academy for the purposes of ascertaining information relating to sexual assault and sexual harassment issues at the Academy.

(B) Inclusion in reports.—Information derived from a focus group under subparagraph (A) shall be included in the next transmitted Commandant's report under this subsection.

(e) Victim Confidentiality.—To the extent that information collected under the authority of this section is reported or otherwise made available to the public, such information shall be provided in a form that is consistent with applicable privacy protections under Federal law and does not jeopardize the confidentiality of victims.

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2021—Subsec. (b)(3)(A). Pub. L. 116–283, §8505(a)(11)(A), substituted "individual or individuals" for "person or persons".

Subsec. (b)(3)(B). Pub. L. 116–283, §8505(a)(11)(B), substituted "individual" for "person".

2018—Pub. L. 115–282 renumbered section 200 of this title as this section.

Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 115–232 substituted "Commandant" for "Commandant of the Coast Guard".

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Policy for Military Service Academies on Separation of Alleged Victims and Alleged Perpetrators in Incidents of Sexual Assault

Secretary of Defense to consult with Secretaries of the military departments and Superintendent of each military service academy and prescribe in regulations a policy that allows a cadet or midshipman of a military service academy who is the alleged victim or alleged perpetrator of a sexual assault to complete their course of study at the academy with minimal disruption and does not preclude the academy from taking other administrative or disciplinary action, see section 539 of Pub. L. 116–283, set out as a note under section 7461 of Title 10, Armed Forces.

Expedited Transfer in Cases of Sexual Assault; Dependents of Members of the Coast Guard

Pub. L. 116–283, div. G, title LVXXXII [LXXXII], §8282, Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4688, provided that: "Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Jan. 1, 2021], the Commandant [of the Coast Guard] shall establish a policy to allow the transfer of a member of the Coast Guard whose dependent is the victim of sexual assault perpetrated by a member of the Armed Forces who is not related to the victim."

Applicability of Sexual Assault Prevention and Response and Related Military Justice Enhancements to Coast Guard Academy

Pub. L. 113–291, div. A, title V, §552(b), Dec. 19, 2014, 128 Stat. 3377, provided that: "The Secretary of the Department in which the Coast Guard is operating shall ensure that the provisions of title XVII of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014 (Public Law 113–66; 127 Stat. 950) [see Tables for classification], including amendments made by that title, and the provisions of subtitle D [§§531–547 of title V of div. A of Pub. L. 113–291; see Tables for classification], including amendments made by such subtitle, apply to the Coast Guard Academy."