Case Explained: Nonprofit expands free legal support for military-connected survivors of sexual assault – Legal Perspective

Sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) stand in the shape of a ribbon holding teal paper to recognize Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month. (Hank Gettys/U.S. Navy )

A nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting and advocating for military-connected survivors of sexual assault added more capacity to its free legal support services hoping it will no longer have to turn away anyone in need.

Protect Our Defenders announced on Monday a partnership with Volare, an organization that provides trauma-informed advocacy, therapy and legal services to crime victims.

Nancy Parrish, CEO and founder of Protect Our Defenders, said that an increase in demand for legal help over the past 15 months had forced the organization to turn away about 25% of people requesting it. This partnership should expand capacity three-fold, she said.

“It will achieve something we’ve been trying to do for over a decade now, and that is to ensure that no victim is ever turned away,” she said.

While the Defense Department’s data showed sexual assaults in the military dropped by about 4% in 2024, research from Brown University found that the actual number of assaults could be two to four times higher because of a fear of reporting.

Because of this, Protect Our Defenders estimated that one in four women will experience sexual assault during their military career.

Its recent increase in demand for legal help could stem from several factors, including a federal hiring freeze that has slowed some reforms meant to provide more resources for victims, Parrish said.

Meanwhile, the Army’s court system has seen two of its largest sexual misconduct cases in recent years, both of which involved a doctor abusing dozens of patients.

Maj. Michael Stockin was convicted in 2025 of 41 charges of abusive sexual contact at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.

The Army filed charges last year against Maj. Blaine McGraw, a former OB-GYN at Fort Hood, Texas, that involve video recording 44 women without their consent. He is awaiting court-martial.

“Our services are going to do what it can to fill the gap because no survivor should walk through this process alone, and they must have legal representation at the beginning of the case,” Parrish said.