2011.01.31: January 31, 2011: Representative Ted Poe says Congress is going to investigate Peace Corps treatment of sexual assault victims

Peace Corps Online: Directory: Benin: Peace Corps Benin : Peace Corps Benin: Newest Stories: 2011.01.14: January 14, 2011: Report by ABC News 20/20: Parents of Slain Volunteer Kate Puzey Say Peace Corps Error Led to Murder: 2006.12.01: December 1, 2006: PCOL Editorial: The Peace Corps Needs a Procedure in Place for Death Notifications to the Families of Volunteers who have Died in Service to ease the Suffering and Pain of the Grieving Process of the Volunteer's Survivors and Families : 2011.01.31: January 31, 2011: Representative Ted Poe says Congress is going to investigate Peace Corps treatment of sexual assault victims

By Admin1 (admin) (98.188.147.225) on Friday, February 11, 2011 - 11:20 am: Edit Post

Representative Ted Poe says Congress is going to investigate Peace Corps treatment of sexual assault victims

Representative Ted Poe says Congress is going to investigate Peace Corps treatment of sexual assault victims

"The Peace Corps needs to get its act together and make sure the victims of rape have peace of mind when they are serving the United States," Poe said. Poe said that he will be their advocate in Washington. "The cavalry is coming," he said. In the letter asking for the hearing, Poe called the Peace Corps' alleged treatment of the women "gross negligence in caring for its volunteers abroad." "The Peace Corps did not adequately protect its volunteers, bring U.S. resources to bear on any criminal investigation, nor provide proper care for the victims in the aftermath," Poe wrote. Poe cited the experience of Jess Smochek of Pennsylvania, who was interviewed by ABC News as part of the 20/20 report. Smochek, now 29, joined the Peace Corps in 2004 and was sent to Bangladesh. Just four months after arriving she was gang raped. Smochek said she felt the Peace Corps tried to cover up what happened to her. "I have three daughters about Jess's age. They want to save the world too," said Rep. Poe. "People like Jess are the salt of the earth and it's just horrible our government doesn't stand beside them." On Monday, Poe dedicated his daily one-minute House Floor speech to Smochek, using information he learned from the 20/20 report. "According to ABC News," said Poe, "over 1,000 rapes and assaults occurred in the last 10 years against American women working for the Peace Corps, but apparently no one is listening. Those days need to end, and it's time for justice for Jess Smochek, because justice is what we do in this country. And that's just the way it is."

Representative Ted Poe says Congress is going to investigate Peace Corps treatment of sexual assault victims

Rep. Ted Poe: Congress to investigate Peace Corps treatment of sexual assault victims

Monday, January 31, 2011

By: The State Column

Rep. Ted Poe released the following statement:

In the wake of an ABC News "20/20″ investigation, a Congressional committee announced plans for hearings on the Peace Corps' handling of more than a thousand cases of female volunteers who were raped or sexually assaulted over the last decade. "This is very upsetting. If these numbers are accurate this is something that Congress definitely should investigate," Rep. Rohrabacher, R-California, Chairman of the House subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation, told ABC News.

Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, called for the hearing Wednesday, telling ABC News he was "furious and sad" after watching the "20/20″ report.

In the report, six former Peace Corps volunteers and victims of sexual assault recounted the attacks against them. Most of the women said within the Peace Corps there was a culture of blaming the victim, and that they felt they had no advocate in Washington to help cut through red tape to get counseling.

"The Peace Corps needs to get its act together and make sure the victims of rape have peace of mind when they are serving the United States," Poe said.

Poe said that he will be their advocate in Washington. "The cavalry is coming," he said.

In the letter asking for the hearing, Poe called the Peace Corps' alleged treatment of the women "gross negligence in caring for its volunteers abroad."

"The Peace Corps did not adequately protect its volunteers, bring U.S. resources to bear on any criminal investigation, nor provide proper care for the victims in the aftermath," Poe wrote.

Poe cited the experience of Jess Smochek of Pennsylvania, who was interviewed by ABC News as part of the 20/20 report. Smochek, now 29, joined the Peace Corps in 2004 and was sent to Bangladesh. Just four months after arriving she was gang raped. Smochek said she felt the Peace Corps tried to cover up what happened to her.

"I have three daughters about Jess's age. They want to save the world too," said Rep. Poe. "People like Jess are the salt of the earth and it's just horrible our government doesn't stand beside them."

On Monday, Poe dedicated his daily one-minute House Floor speech to Smochek, using information he learned from the 20/20 report.

"According to ABC News," said Poe, "over 1,000 rapes and assaults occurred in the last 10 years against American women working for the Peace Corps, but apparently no one is listening. Those days need to end, and it's time for justice for Jess Smochek, because justice is what we do in this country. And that's just the way it is."

"Although I was surprised to find out Congressman Poe chose to speak about me during his floor speech on Monday," Smochek told ABC News, "I am glad that the '20/20′ piece has finally brought this very important issue of Peace Corps negligence of sexual assault and rape victims to the attention of Congress.

"I fully support an oversight hearing in hopes of finally holding the Peace Corps accountable for what it has done to volunteers who are survivors of such trauma, such as myself," she said.

Casey Frazee, an advocate for Peace Corps volunteer victims of rape and sexual assault, teamed up with Smochek to meet with members of Congress in December, before the "20/20″ story aired. That meeting, which members of Poe's staff attended, resulted in a letter to Peace Corps director Aaron Williams urging change. It wasn't until after the "20/20″ report that Poe, who was not present for the December meeting, demanded a formal investigation.

"We had heard some rumblings, we had had some correspondence with some victims of crime, but the magnitude of the problem was only brought out thanks to ABC News," Poe said.

Frazee also appeared in the ABC News report, recounting her experience of sexual assault in South Africa and the Peace Corps' response.

"I want [Peace Corps] to create effective, sustainable policies for training, response and treatment for sexual violence," Frazee said. Frazee's advocacy group, First Response Action, has been in contact with dozens of volunteer victims of sexual assault.

In a statement to ABC News, Peace Corps Director Williams said the agency had "made significant improvements over the past two years in providing support to sexual assault victims."

"We look forward to working with Congress to further strengthen the Peace Corps and advance our mission of world peace and friendship," said Williams.




Links to Related Topics (Tags):

Headlines: January, 2011; Crime; Women's Issues; Congress





When this story was posted in February 2011, this was on the front page of PCOL:




Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers RSS Feed

 Site Index Search PCOL with Google Contact PCOL Recent Posts Bulletin Board Open Discussion RPCV Directory Register

How Volunteers Remember Sarge Date: January 18 2011 No: 1487 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."

PCV Murder Investigated Date: January 18 2011 No: 1477 PCV Murder Investigated
ABC News has investigated the murder of Benin PCV Kate Puzey. Read our original coverage of the crime, comments on Peace Corps actions, the email Puzey sent her country director about sexual incidents with Puzey's students and with another PCV, the backstory on how RPCVs helped the Puzey family, and Peace Corps' official statement. PCOL Editorial: One major shortcoming that the Puzey murder highlights is that Peace Corps does not have a good procedure in place for death notifications.

Support Independent Funding for the Third Goal Date: November 9 2010 No: 1460 Support Independent Funding for the Third Goal
The Peace Corps has always neglected the third goal, allocating less than 1% of their resources to "bringing the world back home." Senator Dodd addressed this issue in the "Peace Corps for the 21st Century" bill passed by the US Senate and Peace Corps Director Ron Tschetter proposed a "Peace Corps Foundation" at no cost to the US government. Both are good approaches but the recent "Comprehensive Assessment Report" didn't address the issue of independent funding for the third goal at all.

Jan 9, 2011: Push for the Peace Corps Date: January 9 2011 No: 1464 Jan 9, 2011: Push for the Peace Corps
Rajeev Goyal Pushes for the Peace Corps 20 Dec
Denis Dutton founded Arts & Letters Daily 2 Jan
Jim Carter promotes organ exchange 29 Dec
Bob Hollinger embraced the Toyama-ryu style of karate 27 Dec
Anthony Siracusa is Riding a bike around world 27 Dec
Marianne Combs writes: Another Upheaval in Ivory Coast 25 Dec
Kathy Rousso documents weaving methods in Guatemala 24 Dec
Ramsey Nix writes: Christmas in Mongolia 23 Dec
Leanne Moore writes: Coming Back to America 23 Dec
Cancer Victim Linda Lahme dreams of Africa 23 Dec
The RPCV Who Changed American Parenting 22 Dec
Dick Holbrooke at the Peace Corps 22 Dec
Mahlon Barash publishes "Imágenes del Perú" 20 Dec
Susan Luz writes "The Nightingale of Mosul" 18 Dec
RPCV arrested in alleged Sandinista 'Land Grab' 17 Dec
Peter DiCampo captures village life in Ghana 16 Dec
John Coyne writes: Peace Corps Prose 16 Dec
Kathleen Stephens presses China to rein in North Korea 15 Dec
Greg Parsley writes: PC taught me to bypass bureaucrats 14 Dec
Pat Waak writes: Peace Corps Pays Off 8 Dec
David Matthews wins NATO medal for work in Afghanistan 7 Dec
Ralph Bolton wins award in Anthropology 9 Nov

Nov 8, 2010: The 50th Begins Date: November 9 2010 No: 1457 Nov 8, 2010: The 50th Begins
University of Michigan commemorates 50th 16 Oct
Wittenberg University also has claim on 50th 31 Oct
Historical Marker Unveiled to Celebrate 50th 15 Oct
Directors Discuss Impact of Service 13 Oct
Mary Morgan writes: Some thoughts on the 50th 16 Oct
Colombia I Holds Reunion at Rutgers 31 Oct
Remembering the Early Program in Ghana 23 Oct
George Packer writes: Meaning of the Mid-Terms 2 Nov
Steve Driehaus Defeated for re-election 2 Nov
Michelle Obama's Uncle was PCV in India 1 Nov
Chic Dambach writes "Exhaust the Limits" 31 Oct
Alrick Brown Directs Documentary on Rwanda 31 Oct
Rajeev Goyal writes: Obama Does Nothing for Peace Corps 31 Oct
Dr. Paul Frommer Created Language for 'Avatar' 20 Oct
Cy Kukenbaker Directs Movie about Soccer in Malawi 15 Oct
Peace Corps has no Institutional Memory 14 Oct
Kristof and Stacia Nordin demonstrate permaculture in Malawi 9 Oct
Volunteer Stephanie Chance dies in Niger 8 Oct
Peace Corps volunteer Census hits 40-year high 4 Oct
Malaysia PM wants Peace Corps to Return 25 Sep
Volunteer Thomas Maresco Murdered in Lesotho 4 Sep
Johnathan Miller launchs Airborne Lifeline 26 Aug

Memo to Incoming Director Williams Date: August 24 2009 No: 1419 Memo to Incoming Director Williams
PCOL has asked five prominent RPCVs and Staff to write a memo on the most important issues facing the Peace Corps today. Issues raised include the independence of the Peace Corps, political appointments at the agency, revitalizing the five-year rule, lowering the ET rate, empowering volunteers, removing financial barriers to service, increasing the agency's budget, reducing costs, and making the Peace Corps bureaucracy more efficient and responsive. Latest: Greetings from Director Williams

Join Us Mr. President! Date: June 26 2009 No: 1380 Join Us Mr. President!
"We will double the size of the Peace Corps by its 50th anniversary in 2011. And we'll reach out to other nations to engage their young people in similar programs, so that we work side by side to take on the common challenges that confront all humanity," said Barack Obama during his campaign. Returned Volunteers rally and and march to the White House to support a bold new Peace Corps for a new age. Latest: Senator Dodd introduces Peace Corps Improvement and Expansion Act of 2009 .



Read the stories and leave your comments.








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.

Story Source: The State Column

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; Crime; Women's Issues; Congress

PCOL46661
56


Add a Message


This is a public posting area. Enter your username and password if you have an account. Otherwise, enter your full name as your username and leave the password blank. Your e-mail address is optional.
Username:  
Password:
E-mail: