March 24, 2004 - PCOL Exclusive: Ranking Member Tom Lantos' Statement on Safety and Security of Peace Corps Volunteers before the House International Relations Committee
Ranking Member Tom Lantos' 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:
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Ranking Member Tom Lantos' Statement on Safety and Security of Peace Corps Volunteers before the House International Relations Committee
Mr. Chairman, thank you for calling this important hearing on the safety and security of Peace Corps volunteers. As these generous-hearted volunteers continue to serve our country as ambassadors of hope and renewal to villages and towns across the globe, their well-being must continue to be one of our highest priorities.
Mr. Chairman, in 1961, President John Kennedy established the Peace Corps to draw from an immense reservoir of men and women who were anxious to dedicate their time and toil to the cause of world peace and human progress. Volunteers were expected to transcend the political divides of their day ad work in true fellowship with local communities to support their development. In the process, this first generation of volunteers helped foster a greater understanding of American values and our culture abroad, as well as a better appreciation of other cultures and peoples by American citizens.
This month we celebrate the 43rd year of distinguished service by Peace Corps volunteers in meeting these goals. Since the Peace Corps' establishment, more than 170,000 volunteers have worked on behalf of humanity and our nation in 137 countries, and they have successfully accomplished many worthy development projects.
Not the least of which is the aid that Peace Corps volunteers lent to a young man named Alejandro Toledo. As one of 16 children, Toledo was raised in the struggling port village of Chimbote, Peru, by a family of extremely modest means. At age 16, with the help of Peace corps volunteers, Toledo secured a one-year scholarship to study economics at the University of San Francisco in my district. He later continued his education at Stanford University, worked for international organizations, and eventually was elected President of Peru, the first of its indigenous peoples to lead that country. Last year, President Toledo welcomed the Peace Corps back to Peru after a 27-year absence.
Many volunteers, like the ones who helped give the current President of Peru a running start in life, are from my home state of California. Of the 170,000 Peace Corps volunteers since 1961, some 25,000 were Californians. Today, 15 constituents from my congressional district are serving as Peace Corps volunteers in Latin America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.
I ask unanimous consent that these 15 names, the countries they serve, and dates of service be entered into the record. I applaud all of them for their dedication and commitment.
Mr. Chairman, the horrific attacks of September 11, 2001 transformed how Americans viewed the world. The terrorist attacks also exposed many in our country to other peoples' perceptions or misperceptions about both the nation and our values.
I have stated on numerous previous occasions before this Committee my belief that we have been neglecting our many traditional public diplomacy efforts. In addition to repairing the damage to public diplomacy instruments of the State Department, I believe that the expansion of the Peace Corps, particularly in predominately Muslim countries, can go a long way to helping the people of other nations achieve a better understanding of the United States.
Mr. Chairman, as President Kennedy anticipated, life in the Peace Corps is not easy. Volunteer often live in simple conditions with no electricity or running water, and the ever-present possibility of unwelcome guests, such as cobras or scorpions. They receive only a small stipend to meet their basic needs during their service and a modest readjustment allowance after their duty is completed. Many times, volunteers are posted in communities where the nearest American is hours or days away. Underlying these hardships is the belief that Americans and foreign peoples best understand one another when they work together on the same projects, share the same food, and speak the same language.
Although life in the Peace Corps is not easy, it should be made safe.
Mr. Chairman, I am disturbed by the most recent "Safety of the Volunteers" report in which the incidence of reported minor sexual assaults against Peace Corps volunteers around the world increased by 275 percent since 1995.
I am equally concerned about the plans of the agency to expand its programming in certain regions, most notably the inter-American and Pacific Regions where incidence of major sexual assaults were 63 percent higher than in Africa, Europe, or Asia over the same six-year period. Although Latin American should be a top priority for receiving US development assistance, we must make sure that we do not place more volunteers into high-risk areas without first augmenting safety and security precautions for them.
I am also concerned about reports that the current leadership of the Office of Medical Services may be fielding volunteers with questionable medical fitness, and hamstringing the ability of-in-country Peace Corps Medical Officers to provide the best possible standard of care to volunteers by slashing their budgets for vital medications and vaccines.
Mr. Chairman, the problems confronting us today around the world are towering, but they are neither unprecedented nor insurmountable. Through the dedication, sacrifice, and self-reliance of Peace Corps volunteers, our country is better able to meet these challenges. I salute them for their service, and pledge to ensure that they have the support they need to continue to accomplish the idealistic goals set before them more than four decades ago.
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?
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This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; Congress; Hearings; Legislation; Safety and Security of Volunteers
