Reports of sexual assaults among members of the U.S. military increased by 8 percent in fiscal year 2008 that ended on Sept. 30, from the previous fiscal year, according to a Pentagon report revealed on Tuesday.

Among U.S. troops stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan, such reports rose by 26 percent during the same period, according to the report.

Kaye Whitley, director of the Pentagon's Sexual Assault Prevention and Response office, told reporters the increases can be attributed to improved reporting methods and officials' belief that military personnel are less fearful of backlash from commanders and peers after reporting an assault.

For fiscal year 2008, among 1.4 million active duty U.S. military members, there were 2,923 reports of sexual assaults among active duty U.S. troops worldwide, up from 2,688 reported the previous fiscal year.

There were 165 sexual assault reports in Iraq and Afghanistan in fiscal year 2008, up from 131 reported in fiscal year 2007.

The report defines sexual assault as unwanted touching, from groping to rape.

The actual number of such crimes could be much larger, because Pentagon officials estimate that only between 10 percent and 20 percent of the military members who were sexually assaulted report the crime.

Among the reported cases, only a small number resulted in courts-martial, because many victims was unwilling to provide full details of the crimes to file a prosecution.

Source:Xinhua