Jill Loftus, director, Department of the Navy Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office (DON SAPRO) will participate in a panel with other international defense officials at The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Brussels, Belgium, Oct. 29 to discuss departmental strategies that are currently being employed to prevent sexual assault, provide victim support and better understand reporting barriers for male victims of sexual assault.

Loftus will join panelists from the Norwegian Armed Forces, Belgian Defense Forces and the United Kingdom's Armed Forces.

"This is a great opportunity to learn how other countries are addressing sexual assault in their militaries and share some of the successes we have had in reducing sexual assault," Loftus said.

The panel, which is being hosted by the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF), is a platform to launch a new handbook that highlights program initiatives related to preventing and responding to gender-based violence in differing military settings worldwide. Panelists will cover broad-ranging topics such as the role of senior leadership in preventing sexual violence to best practices related to facilitating environments conducive of sexual assault reporting.

"The combination of the panel and the handbook is demonstrative of the investment that military communities are making to ensure their service members are engaged in creating an environment where interpersonal violence is taken seriously," Loftus said.

Loftus expects to speak about the efficacy of theater-based interactive training, the policy implications related to reporting options and the challenges male victims face when reporting sexual assault.

For more information and resources to combat sexual assault, visit the SAPR website at www.sapr.navy.mil.