<p>I (accompanied by my daughter) had an opportunity to attend a presentation by Peace Corps Officials on their “Victim Centered Approach to Sexual Assault.” I was appalled at what was considered “victim centered.” First, the victim is afforded no confidentiality to process what has happened to her. A report to the medical officer results in an administrative report to the agency, and the victim is immediately removed from the service assignment. The victim has no choice, no say. The official seemed surprised to report the high number of assaults that they learned about after the victims had completed the service and wondered why they didn’t come forward sooner. He seemed oblivious to the concept of victims’ need to reestablish a sense of control over their lives after such an assault. The procedures were highly self serving for the agency, preserving the agency’s relationship with the community, and clearly (from my perspective) not at all victim centered.
My daughter (someone who would otherwise been attracted to Peace Corps service) left that meeting knowing that she would never apply to work with that agency. i am still steamed at the lack of administrative insight that what’s good for the agency is not necessarily what’s good for the victim.</p>
<p>Glad your D had the insight to realize that the org would NOT meet her (or many people’s) needs. It’s amazing to know that they have this policy and have NO idea how it affects the poor victims. Even in the 20/20 tape, it seemed that the people there did NOT have a good feel for how their policies were affecting their field workers and a great deal of insensitivity.</p>
<p>Their goals are great, but definitely I can see some problems in how they implement things. Would NEVER recommend this org for a young person until they make some major improvements to the "culture’ of this org. The young volunteers are so vulnerable & even more when the org that puts them in harms way refuses to honor confidentiality and refuses to do anything to help keep them safe.</p>
<p>According to the Pentagon, more than 14,000 female soldiers were raped or sexually assaulted by male soldiers last year alone. What protection is being afforded to them? (And why would one believe they are less vulnerable than Peace Corps volunteers? And why would the military refuse to honor confidentiality and refuse to do what is necessary to keep them safe?)</p>
<p>Is it a cultural thing? The vast, overwhelming numbers of rapists in the U.S. military are white Americans. Do we really want to talk about misogyny?</p>
<p>Do you have a problem staying with one topic? If you want to start a topic on soldiers and rape start it. This is not about that and has NOTHING to do with it.</p>
<p>It has everything to do with it. Two different U.S. government agencies have a rape and sexual assault problem. It is worth comparing their responses to it, to see if the Peace Corps problem is specific to it or whether lack of accountability on the part of government agencies is endemic, endangering our young women wherever they are.</p>
<p>It is also exactly on topic in that people are claiming that Peace Corps volunteers are being placed at risk within misogynistic cultures. The evidence does not point in that direction.</p>
<p>I’m sorry that your mind is so narrow that you can’t follow the arguments in your own forum. (neither the military’s problem, nor the points about misogyny were raised by me.)</p>
<p>Can’t you take another decade off? You were not missed. Your anti-US preaching is too much. And what proof is there that “white” soldiers have a worse rape rate than black or Hispanic ones? Just trying your usual distortions? How many dead were there in Iraq again? And that nasty civil war. Yada yada yada.</p>
<p>It really P**sses me off when I am trying to discuss something & someone brings up something that clouds the issue.</p>
<p>The issue as a woman, as a woman has been raped- twice as a young woman( I was 16 ) & who didn’t feel she could report it, because she ( I) knew the people who raped me & one I had even dated casually, & as a parent of daughters- is that a government agency is not empowering families to protect their adult children, indeed they are keeping the knowledge that the children have been harmed from the families.</p>
<p>Whether or not they are putting the women in harms way- I am not clear if the volunteers are actually accurately informed of the level of risk.
This isn’t to compare soldiers in war- the Peace Corps- I thought_ didn’t work in war zones- they aren’t soldiers- they are civilians.
& IMO- because * they are* civilians, they should be treated as such & protected to a greater extent than which they seem to be.</p>
<p>I wonder what you think Peace Corps should do about the issue. The volunteer and country office can press charges, but in countries where the entire system is about who pays a bigger bribe, winning would be seen to reflect badly on the volunteer. Nobody “wins” in Russian courts: they just pay.</p>
<p>This is why Peace Corps is considered tough patriotic service. It’s not freaking Junior Year Abroad. It’s working alone or in pairs at best, in poor, disorganized, and dangerous countries, to show them that America cares about them, and not just about their oil or occupying their soil.</p>
<p>Not about doing some sterile extra-curricular activity.</p>
<p>By the way, what kind of protection should they have? Bodyguards? The whole point of Peace Corps is to live among the people like one of them. Limited income. Using local transport. The US already has humanitarian workers around the globe, wearing bullet-proof jackets, driving around in Land Cruisers, with guards and drivers, with armed guards at the guest house.</p>
<p>That is not Peace Corps.</p>
<p>And all Peace Corps volunteers are college grads–over 20 at least! Those who are not grads are usually over 50 with substantial work experience. These are not high school “children”. They are adults who make the choice to face danger for public service overseas knowing that they are doing so very much on their own.</p>
<p>I kind of feel like people here either feel that going overseas pretty much alone is too dangerous for a 20-year-old, which I totally disagree with, or they massively overestimate the power of the US consulate overseas in very corrupt countries.</p>
<p>The Peace Corps doesn’t inform the parents because… they deal with ADULTS. Not minors. If the ADULT wants to inform her parents, she is at liberty to do so.</p>
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<p>Volunteers are well aware of the risk. As Americans, they stand out. They are unknown by the local authorities and therefore, not immediately trusted. They are often perceived to be promiscuous because they are Americans (whatever their skin color). They are given lecture after lecture on this topic.</p>
<p>They also know that prosecution in these countries is unlikely. They will get mental health counseling in-country and as long as they need it.</p>
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<p>Wrong you are. They do work in some “quiet” war zones, like Korea. They also work in areas where there is internal conflict.</p>
<p>"because they are civilians, they should be treated as such & protected to a greater extent than which they seem to be. "</p>
<p>No. The Peace Corps is exactly about the opposite. About being brave and facing danger as a civilian, who is doing so NOT with a gun, NOT with a bullet-proof vest, NOT with an armed guard, NOT with an entourage, but with a little bit of cash, wits, optimism, and desire to do good. To show what American optimism is really about. Knowing that we are taking this huge risk, the vast majority of the population that PCVs work with really, really appreciate it. Sadly, volunteers do stick out like sore thumbs. And this is why it requires bravery.</p>
<p>Rape, malaria, getting the ***** beat out of you, paying bribes to get out of jail when you’ve done nothing wrong, minor car accidents and spiked drinks, getting robbed, getting mugged, finding out you are being manipulated by a local for small-time political gain… yeah, it sucks. That’s the Peace Corps.</p>
<p>And you know what? I’m so glad. Because what people see are not suckers, not victims, but brave Americans that don’t need guns. I can’t tell you how many times people told us, “Wow, we didn’t think Americans could survive here. Even your soldiers are loaded down with equipment. But you listened to us and you did not freeze to death. We are amazed. You are the real Americans.”</p>
<p>Civilians serve in Afghanistan, Tajikistan, the DRC, Columbia, Sudan, Lesotho, Egypt, Palestine… everywhere. Rape of humanitarian workers, and murder, is a real issue. But guess what?</p>
<p>They do it anyway. For the love of humanity and in the case of Peace Corps, their country. I just do not see how it could be any other way. If there was no risk, there would be no outreach. The volunteer would be too sheltered to make contact, OR not there at all.</p>
<p>I am so sorry for what you went through. However, in the case of Peace Corps, the right to (perceived, I suppose, because I assume you survived rape in North America?) safety is knowingly sacrificed for the greater good.</p>
<p>As an adult, the volunteer has the right to make that decision. And yes, I have daughters.</p>
<p>I agree with Mmezeezee…and I have a daughter who is a current Peace Corps volunteer.</p>
<p>Wow, I salute those brave and wonderful folks who are doing this great work around the world! They are incredible people and our world is a better place because of them!</p>