Most unlikely case of gender bias in the most “gender-equal land”. An US Air Force study said on Thursday that the Air Force Academy officials in Colorado were not guilty of ‘‘systematic acceptance’’ of sexual attacks against female cadets and maltreatment of those who reported assaults.The report by a working group headed by Air Force general counsel Mary Walker found an outdated ‘‘gender climate,’’ tough student hierarchy and confusing rules about sexual assaults at the elite Colorado Springs, Colorado, school.Officials have said at least 56 cases of sexual assault or harassment have been reported at the academy over the past decade and many women involved charged that their complaints were not taken seriously or investigated properly.The scandal, which broke earlier this year, has resulted in replacement of the 4,000-student Colorado school’s top officials and investigations ordered by Congress and the Air Force.The study found ‘‘no systemic acceptance of sexual assault at the academy, no institutional avoidance of responsibility or systemic maltreatment of cadets who report sexual assault,’’ the Air Force said. But it singled out ‘‘a gender climate in which instances of negative comments and some other forms of sexual harassment have existed despite programmes to eliminate them’’. ‘‘A lack of emphasis on good character as a key aspect of sexual assault deterrence training’’ was also cited.The report said confusing rules — including a unique definition of sexual assault and unique procedures in use at the academy — and a rigid cadet authority structure that often makes subordinates vulnerable to seniors were in part to blame for ‘‘a less than optimal environment to deter and respond to sexual assaults and to bring assailants to Justice’’. The group said all but one of the 43 cases of alleged assaults by cadets against cadets investigated between early 1993 and the end of last year were handled with reasonable discretion by school leaders.Brig. Gen. John Weida, acting superintendent of the academy, said it was addressing the issues. Starting this year, a ‘‘first responder’’ team, including a legal advisor and a victim advocate, would deal with reports of sexual attacks. (Reuters)
