Photo By Kemar Noel | Soldiers respond to various questions about different scenarios related to SHARP...... read more read more
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FORT SILL Okla. (Feb. 29, 2024)-- Sexual assault continues to be a thorn in the side of commanders across the Army. So, the question becomes, “How do we stop it, or what procedures are being made to combat this?”
That is where the Sexual Harassment Assault Reporting and Prevention Program training comes into play. The SHARP program is used across the Army to properly train Soldiers on prevention methods for sexual harassment in the workplace.
Soldiers can be sent to various places around the world and the main priority is their safety. But sometimes things happen that are outside of their control.
Capt. Elizabeth Sallack’s unit is one of the founders of SHARP’s new interactive portion of training and she is a prime example of a young Soldier living through a sexual but not having the training of what to do afterward.
“Before I was even on my first rotation and was stationed in Korea, my first sergeant sexually assaulted me,” Sallack said. “I had been in the Army for a year and a half at that point and didn’t know what to do or who to turn to in that situation.”
The SHARP program has been an active part of the military since 2008, but Sallack said it isn’t perfect and one of the main faults is the way it is taught to Soldiers. The program is taught in a classroom setting with various briefs for the training, and she said it isn’t very effective.
“My battalion commander asked me to survey the SHARP program, and I noticed that during the sharp training, a big problem was a lack of empathy,” Sallack said. “Something we needed to handle even more than that was the disinterest in the briefs we had for the training. Most people don’t know how to go about SHARP reporting or what qualifies as a SHARP offense.”
When Sallack became a battery commander, she decided there needed to be a change so she made it more interactive.
She realized Soldiers are tired during basic training and if you sit them in a cold room and give them a lecture their attention will wane. Sallack realized by making the Soldiers active while receiving the information they are more likely to pay attention and retain it.
“I found that a lot more of my Soldiers were able to learn a lot more from interactive training than briefs. The stress-inducing part of the training is supposed to mimic a similar feeling to the trauma response, so it puts Soldiers in the victim’s shoes making the training more effective,” she said.
According to Sallack, the goal is to replicate a high-stress environment so if something were to happen, the Soldiers would be able to recall the things they learned from SHARP more easily. The repetition added to the training makes it easier for the Soldiers to remember as well and is more flexible because it can be done almost anywhere with an open area.
Each class is split into approximately four groups with their respective drill sergeants giving trainees a different perspective while learning. Different batteries have added new ways of giving sharp training with their respective SHARP scenarios provided to tailor the training style more to them and the group.
After various drills, trainees are then asked open-ended questions pertaining to either sexual harassment or assault. Participation is required from the trainees. There is a focus on being mindful of other people around and being complacent when things are happening that trainees could easily stop or help prevent.
“Creating an uncomfortable workplace makes a hostile workplace. Remember as a leader, if things are out of your control, take it to your higher to create a work environment where things like harassment in the workplace doesn’t happen," said Drill Sergeant Shundrieka Jones.
Sallack didn’t implement the new SHARP program alone. She credits Staff Sgt Adriel Marquit for playing a role in getting the program off its feet. Marquit took Sallack’s idea and made it more refined and polished.
“Everyone has different backgrounds, and anyone can be a victim, man or woman, so the training is beneficial for both sides of the coin. While we don’t want something like sexual assault to occur in our military, it still happens so the best we can do is take precautions to prevent this.”
According to the Fires Center of Excellence SHARP web page (sill-www.army.mil/sharp/), bystanders play a critical role in preventing inappropriate situations from escalating. When witnessing unprofessional, unethical, or disrespectful behavior, you can:
Direct: Make contact with either the potential victim or potential perpetrator.
Delegate: Get others involved to intervene.
Distract: Create a diversion or distraction where the concerned behavior is stopped.
The SHARP Sage Help Line is 877-995-5247.
The Sexual Assault Hotline is 580-917-4277.
| Date Taken: | 02.29.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 02.29.2024 16:42 |
| Story ID: | 464985 |
| Location: | FORT SILL, OKLAHOMA, US |
| Web Views: | 447 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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