On October 6, the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Peace Corps, and Global Narcotics Affairs held a hearing, “Peace Corps: The Next 50 Years.” This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Peace Corps’ establishment by President John Kennedy.
“The Peace Corps, as an agency and as a family, is committed to providing the highest quality support and service to volunteers who have been the victims of sexual violence or other crimes,” said Aaron Williams, director of the Peace Corps. From the moment a volunteer first reports a rape or sexual assault we must be ready, willing, and able to provide compassionate and effective support and assistance … As part of the Peace Corps’ victim-centered approach we have put in place systems to allow victims to report sexual assaults and obtain prompt, compassionate assistance without fear of being judged. Dedicated specialists from the medical, mental health, security, and legal fields are available from Peace Corps headquarters to help volunteers, as needed, with the response and recovery process. The Peace Corps’ Counseling and Outreach Unit at headquarters is key to our victim-centered approach to responding to an emergency. Mental health counselors are available to all volunteers for any of their needs, ranging from routine check-ins to coping with major traumatic events. The Counseling and Outreach Unit is trained to deal with emergencies and offers support to both victims and their families. The unit trains Peace Corps medical staff at posts to provide initial emotional support services to all volunteers, including victims of sexual assault. Should a volunteer need specialized care that is beyond the expertise of Peace Corps medical staff, the Peace Corps will provide access to medical professionals who can effectively support the volunteer’s needs…In addition to providing support to victims, the Peace Corps makes every effort to protect volunteers from sexual violence. Both staff and volunteers participate in regular training on safety and security. This training covers a variety of topics related to sexual assault, and other risks that volunteers may face while serving. The Peace Corps has a reporting system to track and analyze safety and security incidents and the data collected is used to instruct our operations and improve volunteer and staff security. When an assault occurs, we work with our partners in host countries to bring perpetrators to justice. Seventy percent of the rapes, attempted rapes and major sexual assaults of Peace Corps volunteers that took place in 2009 and 2010 and were reported to local authorities resulted in arrests. Forty-six percent have resulted in convictions, and a number of other cases are scheduled for trial or still under investigation.”
Kathy Buller, inspector general for the Peace Corps, said, “In response to a 20/20 broadcast earlier this year and a previous congressional hearing, OIG [Office of the Inspector General] has initiated a review of the agency’s guidelines for responding to rape and major sexual assault, which is ongoing. For the purpose of this review, sexual assaults include incidents in three categories: rape (including attempted rape), major sexual assault, and other sexual assault. Our review is assessing: agency guidelines and protocols for responding to a volunteer sexual assault, including the support provided to volunteer survivors; staff training, roles, and responsibilities for responding to volunteer sexual assault; [and] best practices in responding to sexual assaults that would improve the way Peace Corps responds to volunteer sexual assaults and supports victims.” Ms. Buller continued, “The agency has initiated the following:
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