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| Soldiers attend a human rights education program at the Army's 30th Division in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Friday. The Ministry of National Defense ordered it throughout the Armed Forces in the wake of the April death of an Army private first-class after a month of torture by five of his peers. / Yonhap |
By Jun Ji-hye
The United States tackles hazing in its Armed Forces in two ways: providing institutional help for soldiers subject to and guilty of violence, and forcing the military to come clean on violence in the ranks.
This may offer the Korean military a point of reference in its own anti-hazing campaign.
Military authorities here are under pressure to prevent a recurrence of the death of an enlisted soldier as the result of gruesome torture by five of his peers, a case that was exposed by an activist group after a systematic attempt at a cover-up.
First of all, U.S. commanders are required to embrace an "open-door policy," while working with a robust Equal Opportunity Office (EOO).
The former allows members of a given unit to take their concerns and difficulties up the chain of command or make a direct report to the commander.
For instance, a soldier may take an issue directly to a company, battalion or brigade commander.
The EOO plays the role of ensuring fair treatment for military personnel, their dependents and civilian employees without regard to race, color, gender, religion or national origin.
"The office also provides an environment free of unlawful discrimination and offensive behavior," a U.S. military official told The Korea Times on the condition of anonymity. "Soldiers are encouraged to resolve issues within the chain of command and to work with EOO personnel when necessary."
The Inspector General's Office (IGO) is another option for a soldier to resolve problems by filing a complaint or requesting assistance either verbally or in writing.
"Soldiers cannot be denied access to the IGO," said the official. "The IGO encourages soldiers to first utilize their chain of command to resolve problems and issues. However, retribution is systematically prevented against a soldier who submits a complaint to the IGO."
He added the office responds to every inquiry or complaint that it receives.
The U.S. Senate led an effort after Pvt. Danny Chen, a Chinese-American U.S. Army soldier, died in 2011 after being harassed and beaten by his fellow soldiers because of his race.
The Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act for 2013 in May 2012.
The act includes legislation that requires the military to report on its policies to improve anti-hazing training, tracking and responses.
Under the provisions, the military is required to submit reports on harassment incidents, and take appropriate steps to resolve them.
Another provision demands that the secretary of defense develop procedures in which soldiers can anonymously report incidents.
On Wednesday, Seoul's defense ministry launched a committee tasked with improving the military's endemic problems of abuse, but there seems a lot of pressure to produce proper measures, as those announced by authorities so far has been proved to be fruitless.
The military also conducted human rights training Friday for troops nationwide.
Follow Jun Ji-hye on Twitter @TheKopJihye
