Sexual assault survivors laud Biden order reforming military justice

President Biden has signed an order moving prosecutions of military sexual assaults out of the chain of command

Madison Cunningham, now 21, said she joined the Army to escape her hometown, travel and pay for college.

Shortly after enlisting, she was sexually assaulted in April 2021 by someone in her battalion at Fort Liberty, formerly Fort Bragg in North Carolina, .

She was sexually assaulted two more times after that, and while she did report the first incident, she chose not to report the others because no disciplinary action had been taken.

"I don't think the military should have any control over what happens with any sexual assault, sexual harassment cases at all," she told the BBC. "A lot of the time they're skewed."

Now, after President Biden signed an executive order on Friday, the process for handling such allegations has been moved outside the chain of command.

Independent military prosecutors will decide how to pursue legal charges in such cases rather than military commanders. They will also handle other serious crimes including domestic violence, child abuse and murder cases.

The Biden administration said the new system was designed to better protect victims and ensure prosecutorial decisions were fully independent from the military command.

"The changes represent the most significant transformation of the military justice system since the [Uniform Code of Military Justice] was established in 1950," the White House said in a statement.

The order will officially implement the reforms approved by the National Defense Authorization Act which was passed by Congress with bipartisan support. It comes two years after an independent review commission formed by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin recommended the changes.

Originally stationed at Fort Liberty, formerly Fort Bragg, Ms Cunningham left in 2021

Ms Cunningham described the executive order as step in the right direction.

While the new rules should make it easier for those who report sexual assaults in future, abuse in the military remains a serious problem.

There were 8,942 reports of sexual assault in the fiscal year 2022, according to the Department of Defense's annual report on sexual assault. Most victims do not report the assault.

Ms Cunningham said she had considered leaving the Army after the military's Criminal Investigation Division did not believe her claims.

"My unit failed me and everyone around me that was supposed to protect me and take care of me didn't."

But she said therapy had helped her, and she wanted to support others who have gone through similarly traumatic experiences.

"I hate that it's normal," she said. "I have decided that I'm going to stay in the Army still. While they failed me, I can stay in and be the change."