Nude photos of female Marines reportedly shared on social media

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The United States Marine Corps is investigating after a veteran claimed that pictures of naked female Marines were being shared by other veterans on a social media network promoting sexual violence.

The pictures were allegedly shared to a Facebook group called Marines United, and along with the pictures, names and units of the women pictures were shared.

Marine Lance Cpl. Marisa Woytek, one of the women pictured, said that the images were taken without her consent from her Instagram account. One of her friends told her that the pictures had been posted online without her knowledge, and when she looked at the comments, she was upset to see that many of them made reference to rape and sexual violence.

“Even if I could, I’m never re-enlisting,” Woytek said. “Being sexually harassed online ruined the Marine Corps for me, and the experience.”

The Marine Corps Times reported the story on Sunday, and Woytek said that this kind of harassment had been experienced by so many others who did not speak up because of fears of retaliation. Woytek expressed her hope that this report will empower others to speak up.

The Marine Corps is now investigating the scandal, which could involve hundreds of Marines, and said in a statement: “The Marine Corps is deeply concerned about allegations regarding the derogatory online comments and sharing of salacious photographs in a closed website. This behavior destroys morale, erodes trust, and degrades the individual. The Marine Corps does not condone this sort of behavior, which undermines our core values.”