American troops deploying to Afghanistan were told that sexual abuse is a “culturally accepted practice” in the country and that it “was not a priority for the command,” according to a Pentagon report.
“In some cases, the interviewees explained that they, or someone whom they knew, were told that nothing could be done about child sexual abuse because of Afghanistan’s status as a sovereign nation, that it was not a priority for the command,” the report said.
Soldiers who reported cases of sexual misconduct to their superior officers were told that “this is Afghanistan” and “there’s nothing we can do about it.”
The 106-page report was issued in response to a complaint by Republican Congressman Duncan Hunter of California about child sexual abuse in Afghanistan’s armed forces.
“We determined that the DoD [Department of Defense] did not conduct training for personnel on identifying, responding to, or reporting instances…