2011.05.15: May 15, 2011: Peace Corps Volunteers Speak Out About Violent Rapes
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2011.05.15: May 15, 2011: Peace Corps Volunteers Speak Out About Violent Rapes
Peace Corps Volunteers Speak Out About Violent Rapes
According to the New York Times, "from 2000 to 2009, on average, 22 Peace Corps women each year reported being the victims of rape or attempted rape, the agency says. During that time, more than 1,000 Peace Corps volunteers reported sexual assaults, including 221 rapes or attempted rapes." And since the incidence of sexual assault reporting is low, the real numbers are probably much higher.
Peace Corps Volunteers Speak Out About Violent Rapes
Peace Corps Volunteers Speak Out About Violent Rapes
posted by: Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux 2 days ago
Peace Corps Volunteers Speak Out About Violent Rapes
Jess Smochek was in her early twenties when she was gang-raped in Bangladesh during her stint as a Peace Corps volunteer. The brutal assault took place after Smochek had pleaded to be reassigned; she said that the group of men, who had tried to stalk, touch, and kiss her from the day she arrived in the city, raped her with their bodies and with foreign objects.
"They slammed me against the wall and just started threatening me, they're calling me a filthy American whore," she said. "'We told you to stop going to the police. And now we have to kill you.'"
According to Smochek, the Peace Corps then tried to cover up the violence, fearful of offending officials in Bangladesh. This story is familiar to a distressingly large number of Peace Corps volunteers, who were assaulted while abroad and then made to feel as though the rapes were their fault. They are now speaking out about the violence committed against them. On Wednesday, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs held a hearing to examine what Chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen called a "safety problem [that] has been disguised for decades."
According to the New York Times, "from 2000 to 2009, on average, 22 Peace Corps women each year reported being the victims of rape or attempted rape, the agency says. During that time, more than 1,000 Peace Corps volunteers reported sexual assaults, including 221 rapes or attempted rapes." And since the incidence of sexual assault reporting is low, the real numbers are probably much higher.
The victim-blaming culture at the Peace Corps seems to be strong. The agency announced that it will replace a video in which victims "appear on camera describing what they had done wrong to bring on sexual assault." Another woman said that a Peace Corps medical officer "made me write in my testimony that I was intoxicated" and suggested that "I willingly had sex with this guy."
Women were also raped by Peace Corps members. Carol Clark was assaulted by her Nepalese program director, became pregnant, and claims that the Peace Corps gave her a choice: have an abortion or quit.
Strangely enough, as Mother Jones blogger Suzy Khimm points out, the Republicans are leading the charge in investigating potential failures to protect and respect sexual assault victims and reduce rape culture within the Peace Corps. The Democrats are apparently "skittish" about investigating the allegations, fearing that the Republicans would ultimately use the evidence to fuel funding cuts to the Peace Corps. This, needless to say, is an incredibly cowardly way to approach the issue.
Links to Related Topics (Tags):
Headlines: May, 2011; Peace Corps Director Aaron Williams; Peace Corps Headquarters; Sexual Assault and Harassment; Congress; Legislation; Safety and Security of Volunteers
When this story was posted in May 2011, this was on the front page of PCOL:
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| Peace Corps: The Next Fifty Years As we move into the Peace Corps' second fifty years, what single improvement would most benefit the mission of the Peace Corps? Read our op-ed about the creation of a private charitable non-profit corporation, independent of the US government, whose focus would be to provide support and funding for third goal activities. Returned Volunteers need President Obama to support the enabling legislation, already written and vetted, to create the Peace Corps Foundation. RPCVs will do the rest. |
| How Volunteers Remember Sarge As the Peace Corps' Founding Director Sargent Shriver laid the foundations for the most lasting accomplishment of the Kennedy presidency. Shriver spoke to returned volunteers at the Peace Vigil at Lincoln Memorial in September, 2001 for the Peace Corps 40th. "The challenge I believe is simple - simple to express but difficult to fulfill. That challenge is expressed in these words: PCV's - stay as you are. Be servants of peace. Work at home as you have worked abroad. Humbly, persistently, intelligently. Weep with those who are sorrowful, Care for those who are sick. Serve your wives, serve your husbands, serve your families, serve your neighbors, serve your cities, serve the poor, join others who also serve," said Shriver. "Serve, Serve, Serve. That's the answer, that's the objective, that's the challenge." |
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Story Source: Care2
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; Williams; HQ; SA; Congress; Legislation; Safety
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