March 24, 2004 - PCOL Exclusive: NPCA President Kevin Quigley's Statement on Safety and Security of Peace Corps Volunteers before the House International Relations Committee
NPCA President Kevin Quigley's Statement on Safety and Security of Peace Corps Volunteers before the House International Relations Committee
Congressman Henry Hyde, Chairman of the House International Relations Committee, presided over hearings on March 24 on Safety and Security of Peace Corps Volunteers. Read and comment on the written statement by the witnesses at the hearings at:
* This link was active on the date it was posted. PCOL is not responsible for broken links which may have changed.
NPCA President Kevin Quigley's Statement on Safety and Security of Peace Corps Volunteers before the House International Relations Committee
Chairman Hyde and Ranking Democratic Member Lantos, my name is Kevin F. F. Quigley, President of the National Peace Corps Association. I appreciate the opportunity to appear before the Committee to provide a volunteer's perspective on the important issue of the safety and security of Peace Corps Volunteers.
The National Peace Corps Association (NPCA) is a 501(c)(3) organization, founded 25 years ago in 1979 as the National Council of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers. The NPCA is the only national organization for Peace Corps volunteers, staff, family and friends whose lives have been influenced by the Peace Corps experience. Our mission is to "help lead the Peace Corps community in fostering peace through service, education and advocacy."
In the NPCA network, there are 30,000 individuals who participate in our national or affiliates' activities and support our mission. These individuals reside in all 50 states. The NPCA's 154 affiliated groups are in 45 states and the District of Columbia. The NPCA's objective is to be a resource for the Peace Corps community. The NPCA has programs to promote service, enhance understanding of other cultures, and to advocate around issues of concern to our community.
Over the past seven months, I have met with 25 of NPCA's affiliates and talked about the Peace Corps experience with more than a thousand former volunteers and staff in small and large groups. The one common theme through all of these discussions is that Peace Corps service is a defining experience that continues to shape our lives. Among the community of those who have served, there is broad, deep and passionate support for Peace Corps, which often leads to ongoing service back home. This community understands the vital importance of having volunteers working overseas--as they have done in more than 130 countries--to promote peace through training individuals in their host country, educating them about the United States, and upon their return educating Americans about the country in which they served. This reflects Peace Corps' three goals, which are perceived as every bit as vital today as when Peace Corps was established 43 years ago.
This fervent support for the Peace Corps mission continues despite the growing awareness of concerns about our country's security and the safety and security of volunteers. This community understands more than ever the vital importance of America's positive engagement with the rest of the world especially at the grassroots level, living together as friends and colleagues, which only Peace Corps provides.
During these many conversations, I also have learned that no two of the 171,000 Americans who have served as Peace Corps volunteers have an identical experience. There are vast differences based on the volunteer, the country, the assignment, the era, and the people we served. There are, however, many common threads linking these experiences across the generations of volunteers regardless of the country or region of service or the nature of the assignment. These common threads include serving in often remote locations, as perhaps the only American, learning another language and living with others as friends and colleagues and developing a deep appreciation of another culture. Even with these many commonalities, it is difficult to generalize. So, Mr. Chairman, I would like to provide some perspective on this important of safety and security issue by describing my own experience.
I became a Peace Corps Volunteer in 1976 and served for three years. My group arrived in Thailand the month after the last U.S. soldiers stationed there during the Vietnam War departed but while there was still fighting, especially in the border areas.
My training involved three components: 1) Thai language, 2) Teaching English-As-A-Second Language, and 3) Cross-cultural. Having studied nine different languages in some fashion, I can attest that Peace Corps provided the finest language training I ever received. The technical training was sufficient to ensure that we would succeed as teachers in a Thai classroom. The cross-cultural training component provided invaluable insights about how to live and adapt to what was then an extremely foreign culture.
After 9-weeks of training, I was sent to an isolated post in Dan Sai district, Loei province approximately ten miles from the border with Laos in an area described as "sensitive." In that area there was ongoing fighting between insurgents and government forces. The closest volunteers were 60 kilometers to the South or 90 kilometers to the East, both over mountainous roads that were nearly impassable in the monsoons. Like many volunteers who had gone before me, I knew there was some risk associated with my assignment since it was in one of the most isolated and poorest parts of the country.
Before my arrival at my post in Dan Sai, a Peace Corps program manager had visited the site and meet with the host counterpart to ensure that there was an appropriate work assignment and housing.
Although there was considerable ongoing fighting in Dan Sai district, including frequent firings of 105 millimeter shells, common sightings of helicopter gunships and ambushes of government outposts, at my site I never felt threatened or in danger. This was due to the fact that I was included in and identified as part of the community. It seemed that all the people in Dan Sai understood who I was and that I was teaching their children. Since I was incorporated into the community, filing the emergency action plan that Peace Corps required of all volunteers seemed a bit unnecessary if not unreal.
While a volunteer in Dan Sai, I was visited by the Country Director-who 25 years later gave me a copy of my letter regarding his visit. I was also visited by one other volunteer who lived in the provincial capital, who I would visit typically once a month. Communication was by mail since there was no phone service in my district. To make a phone call required travel to the provincial capital, 90 kilometers away. However, the mail and a yearly monitoring visit plus periodic trips to Bangkok for training or medical purposes were sufficient. Modern technology, especially satellite and cell phones and access to the internet, provides today's volunteers a much greater ability to stay in touch with the in-country Peace Corps staff, as well as their family and friends at home.
In my second and third years, I worked in more urban settings. I transferred from Dan Sai because I thought I could make more of a contribution at a larger institution. Typically, I would be visited once a year by a Peace Corps official.
The very nature of my initial Peace Corps assignment--in a remote area far from where tourists traveled or where they were scant Americans--made a deep impression on the people I worked and lived with. This encouraged them to see Peace Corps and the government that supported it in profound and important new ways, contributing to the most memorable experience of my life. That was truly remarkable given that the consequences of the war in Southeast Asia were still reverberating around the region.
I recognize that my experience was unique to me and happened decades ago. Based on what I have learned from many other volunteers, however, it has some bearing on this topic. My experience involved Peace Corps basic approach to volunteer placement: 1) site assessment, 2) volunteer training, 3) monitoring, and 4) emergency planning. If I had not been placed in such a remote site, for which I was well prepared, I would not have been able to contribute or learn anywhere near as much as I did. I have heard from hundreds of other volunteers who had comparable kinds of postings in remote and "sensitive areas," and they share my assessment.
In the aftermath of the tragic events of September 2001, there has been growing public attention to the issue of safety and security of Americans overseas, including Peace Corps volunteers. Following the 2002 GAO Report and in the lead up and the aftermath of a series published by The Dayton Daily News, there has been lively discussion in the Peace Corps community about safety and security issues.
Within this community there is a broad spectrum of opinion. However, among those of us who have served we agree that safety and security of volunteers must be a paramount concern. All our members grieve for the 252 volunteers who have lost their lives in service and have enormous sympathy for our fellow volunteers who have experienced harm. Whenever a tragedy occurs or whenever a volunteer is harmed we expect-in fact demand-that Peace Corps do everything humanly possible to be responsive.
There is also a sense that the discussion on safety and security misses the broader context, whether the Peace Corps experience is, relatively speaking, any more risky in terms of homicides and assaults than life for a comparable cohort in urban America, overseas development workers or for volunteers with Peace Corps German, British, France and Japanese counterparts. In Appendix II, The GAO Report provides a brief comparison between Peace Corps and other programs that place volunteers overseas. Unfortunately, there is no statistical comparison regarding what those agencies experiences are with safety and security.
In fact, one of the most eloquent testimonies to the importance of Peace Corps service is provided by the Radley family. I mention this because Gordon Radley, a volunteer in Malawi, was not able to testify today. Gordon's older brother Larry along with another volunteer, David Crozier, were the first two volunteers who died in service. Larry death's firmly shaped the future of the Radley family. After graduating from college, Larry's sister Elana and his brother Gordon both joined the Peace Corps knowing full well the risks associated with service.
In addition, there is concern among the community that the necessary attention to safety and security does not diminish the essential uniqueness and value of the Peace Corps experience--allowing Americans to live and work alongside our host country counterparts. Much of this value is based on a flexible approach to posting volunteers, whether it is in urban or rural settings. Volunteers are sent to where there is a cooperating host institution offering appropriate work, access to essential services, suitable housing, and an expressed need for them. All volunteers also prepare a plan for responding to emergencies. As I learned from the volunteers who were recently evacuated from Haiti, these plans work remarkably well. This is attested to by the fact that in the more than 30 post closings over the past decade due to civil war, political unrest, or concerns about repercussions related to the war in Iraq, there has not been an incident where a volunteer was harmed.
There have been some proposals to post at least two volunteers to each site or consolidate groups of volunteers. That would diminish the experience and lessen the impact of Peace Corps without necessarily enhancing the safety and security of volunteers. Two volunteers posted together tend to be less well integrated and perhaps less well accepted by the local community. Two volunteers are more likely to be perceived as able to look after each other, thus diminishing the community's need to have a stake in their safety and security.
There is also some concern that the resources required to address safety and security concerns may undermine Peace Corps' unique and vital contributions to U.S. foreign policy. This is especially the case if adequate funding is not provided to enable Peace Corps to meet the President's goal of doubling the size of Peace Corps, which is endorsed by the community.
In addition, the community believes that there is an opportunity to significantly expand the number of countries where Peace Corps is operating. Doing this would be extremely beneficial to the national interest. This can be done without jeopardizing volunteer's safety and security, although it may require that Peace Corps develop a more flexible approach to programming. For example, this may require relying on technical cooperation agreements in lieu of bilateral agreements as in the recent case of Mexico. It may also require somewhat shorter or more flexible assignments, perhaps only a year service or two years service that could be interrupted for a short period for a home visit.
Doubling the size of Peace Corps and expanding to new countries are goals endorsed by the community. It will require significant new resources, which do not appear to be forthcoming. Thus, any new requirements related to safety and security that Congress decides to implement must be accompanied by additional financial resources.
Much of the discussion seems to miss the fact that concern with volunteer safety and security is not new. Recently, I have had the chance to talk with seven of the Peace Corps Directors, spanning from the first Director to the current Director. For all of these directors, safety of the volunteers was a critical issue. Over the past few years, significant new investments have been made to address these issues in the context of current global realities.
Mr. Chairman, I understand that the Committee is considering legislation to address the issue of volunteer safety and security. I have had a chance to see briefly a draft of this legislation, which I understand has three main components: 1) make the Office of Inspector General more independent by having the Inspector General be a presidential appointment, 2) create an Office of Ombudsman, and 3) establish statutorily the Office of Safety and Security.
Speaking simply as someone who has served, I would say that: changing the status of the Inspector General is unlikely to have any effect on volunteer's safety and security; creating an Office of Ombudsman would be perceived by the Peace Corps community as being responsive to many former volunteers, especially those who have been harmed or become ill during their service and not received promised post-service support. They will perceive that their concerns are being addressed by a strong, vibrant mechanism advocating for their interests; establishing statutorily the Office of Safety and Security would be a way to underscore the Congress's concern with and commitment to ensure the safety and security of volunteers and a recognition that these issues are a current reality and will be with us for many decades to come. This Office should be charged with notifying any volunteer victimized by crime be notified about the processing of criminal charges.
Recently, I have also heard reports of changes that may affect the Office of Medical Services. The community considers this Office critical to volunteer's safety and security and wishes to see that this Office has the resources required and the authority necessary to play its critical role.
It is essential that whatever Congress does to address this issue of volunteer safety and security should not impede the fundamental mission and style of Peace Corps, which has contributed to its success over the past four decades. Equally important is that whatever Congress does on this issue should not detract from the vitally important goal of expanding the numbers of serving volunteers and that the President's 2005 budget request is met.
Chairman Hyde and Ranking Democratic Member Lantos, the Peace Corps community thanks you for addressing the issue of volunteer safety and security. The NPCA will work with you and the Committee to ensure that these issues are addressed in ways that protect volunteers, preserve the essence of the Peace Corps mission, and best advance U.S. interests. We will also work relentlessly so that the President's budget request can be met, providing many more Americans with the opportunity to serve their country through the Peace Corps and to bring that experience back to America.
Thank you.
March 23, 2004 - US Newswire: Hyde to introduce Peace Corps Safety and Security Act of 2004
Read and comment on this Press Release from the Committee on International Relations that Chairman Henry Hyde will introduce the Peace Corps Safety and Security Act of 2004 to create an agency ombudsman; enhance the Corps' security office; and give greater independence to the agency's Office of the Inspector General. Read the story at:
* This link was active on the date it was posted. PCOL is not responsible for broken links which may have changed.
Safety & Security of Peace Corps Volunteers: Hyde schedules Wednesday oversight hearing; Plans introduction of legislation to remedy problems
BACKGROUND: The president's intention of doubling the size of the Peace Corps comes at a time of heightened risk for Americans living abroad. Recent critical reports by the General Accounting Office (GAO) and an award-winning series by the Dayton Daily News illustrate uneven performance by the Peace Corps in developing safe and secure housing and worksites, responding to volunteer concerns, and planning for emergencies. Among those scheduled to testify are Walter R. Poirier, the father of missing Peace Corps volunteer Walter J. Poirier. The younger Poirier, a native of Lowell, Massachusetts, and a 2000 graduate of the University of Notre Dame, served as a volunteer in Bolivia until his disappearance in March 2001. A subsequent GAO report found that "the Peace Corps failed to properly supervise Poirier and lost track of him." Peace Corps Director Gaddi Vasquez is expected to testify on recent policies adopted by the Peace Corps to promote the safety and security of its volunteers. Later this month, Chairman Hyde will introduce the Peace Corps Safety and Security Act of 2003 to create an agency ombudsman; enhance the Corps' security office; and give greater independence to the agency's Office of the Inspector General.
WHAT: Full Committee oversight hearing: Safety and Security of Peace Corps Volunteers
WHEN: 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, March 24
WHERE: Room 2172 Rayburn House Office Building
WITNESSES: Gaddi H. Vasquez, Director, The Peace Corps; Charles D. Smith, Inspector General, The Peace Corps; Jeffrey Bruce, Editor, Dayton Daily News; Jess Ford, Director, International Affairs and Trade, General Accounting Office; Walter R. Poirier, father of missing Peace Corps volunteer; and Kevin Quigley, President, National Peace Corps Association.
Issues expected to be examined at the hearing:
-- How does the Peace Corps monitor the safety and security of its volunteers in the field?
-- Is there a standard policy on a global or country-by- country basis that requires supervisors to visit or contact volunteers in person at a specified interval?
-- How does the Peace Corps train its volunteers, especially with respect to safety and security? After several months on assignment, do Peace Corps volunteers feel that they have been adequately prepared for their assignment?
-- Is it possible to expand the presence of the Peace Corps in additional countries while taking into account the safety of Peace Corps volunteers?
Some postings on Peace Corps Online are provided to the individual members of this group without permission of the copyright owner for the non-profit purposes of criticism, comment, education, scholarship, and research under the "Fair Use" provisions of U.S. Government copyright laws and they may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner. Peace Corps Online does not vouch for the accuracy of the content of the postings, which is the sole responsibility of the copyright holder.
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; Congress; Hearings; Legislation; Safety and Security of Volunteers
