Congratulations to WUSF filmmakers Jennifer Molina and Sarah Pusateri for winning a Suncoast Emmy for their documentary "Uniform Betrayal: Rape in the Military."
The hour-long film exposes what many warriors may not consider when signing up to serve their country -- sexual assault or rape by their brothers and sisters in arms.
The film highlights an epidemic of sexual assault in the military that up until recently was largely overlooked by military officials.
According to the Department of Defense, an estimated 19,000 military service members are raped or sexually assaulted every year. However, because of the lack of investigation and prosecution in these cases, few are ever reported.
Many of the voices heard in the film are from the Tampa Bay area, but production of the film also took its creators to New York City and Washington D.C. There, they interviewed survivors of sexual assault, experts, and top military officials about their experiences as well as what is being done to stop the problem.
Uniform Betrayal: Rape in the military aired on WUSF Channel 16 in May and is now airing across the nation on PBS stations.
It was completed through a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for The Healthy State Collaborative, a network of reporters focusing on health issues connecting public radio stations across the state.
