Statistical Reference? By RPCV Burkina
Statistical Reference? By RPCV Burkina
I agree with many of those who have written in support of the ideals and successes of Peace Corps throughout its 40+ year history. And my heart reaches out towards those who have suffered greatly because of experiences endured while volunteers. I can never understand, but I can hope to provide support or empathy.
While I am not a statistician, it seems we are scrutinizing the statistics presented in these articles in a vacuum. There is talk of suicides, assaults, rapes, and accidents, yet not once are these numbers compared to a similar demographic sample in the U.S. Similarly, the statistics are not compared to the actual situation in the country where they occurred. Are volunteers committing suicide in larger percentages than people of similar social and economic backgrounds in the U.S.? Are volunteers experiencing accidents or assaults at greater rates than other individuals in the countries they serve? This is not to say that every effort shouldn't be made to protect the lives and interests of volunteers, but we should look more closely at the numbers before sensationalizing them.
