Seventeen members of the military who claim they were raped or sexually assaulted by their own comrades filed a federal class action lawsuit in Virginia Tuesday.

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The lawsuit, which names former defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld and current Secretary of Defense Robert Gates as defendants, accuses the officials of not ensuring a safe workplace.

Some of the women are going public, hoping that it will encourage the Pentagon to change the way it handles sex abuse cases.

ABC7 has a policy against disclosing the identities of sex abuse victims unless they choose to be identified.

One of the plaintiffs, Myla Haider, said she and five other women were raped by a senior agent in Korea. The rape occurred during her six-month internship with the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command.

When the man suspected of raping her wasn’t convicted in a military court, she decided to join in filing the class action lawsuit.

“My rapist was being investigated as a serial rapist,” she said.

Kori Cioca says her Coast Guard supervisor broke her jaw and raped her while she was serving at Saginaw River, Michigan.

“He approached me and put my hand on his groin and I pushed him away,” she said. “He hit me across the face. I hit the closet and grabbed my face because the pain was so bad.”

In 2009, 3,230 servicemembers reported rape or sexual assault throughout the military. But the Pentagon acknowledges most victims – 80 percent -- don't report the attacks for fear of being discharged.

Recently a department was set up at the Pentagon to handle the military's sexual abuse claims.

The Department of Defense did not return a call seeking comment on the lawsuit.