Factors Influencing Sexual Violence Situation Witnessing Experience: For Korean Occupational Soldiers

This study explored the influencing factors related to the possibility of a military colleague’s intervention by comparing the awareness of sexual violence, gender consciousness, social self-efficacy, and self-esteem of Korean occupational soldiers related to the experience of witnessing sexual violence. From 4 September to 3 November 2022, an online survey was conducted targeting occupational soldiers working in all regions of South Korea by collecting snowball samples with gender allocation applied. Subjects responded to questions about sexual violence awareness, gender consciousness, witnessing sexual violence, social self-efficacy, and self-esteem. Data were collected until the number of professional soldiers with witnessing experience met the minimum target number by checking whether they had witnessed sexual violence among the response results. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation analysis, and logistic regression. There were 102 subjects (40.9%) who had witnessed sexual violence by their military colleagues, and there were significant differences in sexual violence awareness, gender awareness, and social self-efficacy according to whether they had witnessed sexual violence. Compared to the unexperienced group, the group who witnessed sexual violence by their military colleagues showed significantly higher sexual violence awareness by 2.01 times and social self-efficacy by 2.27 times. In order to prevent sexual violence among occupational soldiers, it is necessary for military colleagues to play the role of active bystanders and witnesses. To this end, it is necessary to develop an educational direction and bystander’s witnessing program related to the improvement of the unit’s sexual violence awareness, gender awareness, and social role as a soldier.