Peace Corps Volunteers Speak Out About Rape, Violence

WASHINGTON -- Jessica Smochek told members of Congress on Wednesday that, after being brutally gang-raped in Bangladesh in 2004, a Peace Corps medical officer refused to give her a proper physical examination. Instead, the medic confiscated the former English teacher's cellphone so that she could not alert her fellow volunteers and instructed her to tell anyone who asked about her sudden departure from the program that she was returning to the U.S. to get her wisdom teeth out. When Smochek arrived in Washington, D.C., a Peace Corps official asked her to write down everything she had done to provoke the attack.

"Shortly after I left, the country director -- who never attempted to contact me after I was raped -- called a meeting of several women in my former volunteer group and told them, without my permission, what had happened to me," she said. "Then, he told them that rape was a woman’s fault and that I had caused what happened to me by being out alone after 5:00 PM. As for the other women in the group, who had been very vocal about being constantly stalked and afraid, he threatened them with administrative separation."

Smochek was one of a growing number of former Peace Corps volunteers who are speaking out about the sexual assaults they endured while serving abroad. Their stories have sparked Congressional hearings, as well as pledges for institutional reform.

Since it was founded in 1961, the Peace Corps has sent 200,000 volunteers to 139 countries. Between 2000 and 2009, an average of 22 women each year report being victims of rape or attempted rape, the agency told HuffPost Wednesday. There have been more than 1,000 sexual assaults and 221 rapes or attempted rapes in that time. Since sexual crimes often go unreported, experts note the numbers may be significantly higher.

At a meeting of the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday, lawmakers heard from three former Peace Corps volunteers about their experiences as victims of violence and sexual assault while serving overseas, as well as from Lois Puzey, whose daughter, Kate Puzey, was murdered while serving in Benin in 2009. The hearing, led by Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), highlighted not only the perils volunteers faced while abroad, but the agency's lack of support for victims of abuse.

"The social support that a victim receives in the hour after the assault occurs is the key factor in assuring whether the victim will have long-term mental health problems," said Karestan Koenen, a Peace Corps rape victim who now teaches psychology at Columbia and Harvard. "We question ourselves and question our behavior. Blaming the victim just adds to the questioning of your own behavior -- you end up internalizing that blame and it can stop you from seeking help that you need because you are afraid that other people will respond the same way."

Peace Corps Director Aaron S. Williams apologized on Wednesday for the agency's failure to respond compassionately or offer assistance to the Peace Corps' victims of sexual assault and violence. Williams signaled that he is ready and willing to work with Congress to craft legislation aimed at institutional reform.

“The health, safety, and support of every member of our Peace Corps family is my number one priority,” said Williams in a prepared statement. “The Peace Corps of today takes the issue of sexual assault prevention and response seriously and we are dedicated to providing compassionate victim-centered care. Since I became Director, the Peace Corps has put in place new policies to reduce the risks faced by volunteers and to ensure they receive our full support when a tragedy occurs.”

But some victims emphasized that apologies are not enough.

"Apologies without actions are useless," said Carol Marie Clark, a former Peace Corps volunteer who was raped by her boss. "Soon after I began working, my supervisor, the Nepalese Peace Corps program director, began telling the female volunteers that we would have to have sex with him in order to receive our living supplement checks. Volunteers told our country director about this, but he did nothing."

"I have had an apology from the Peace Corps," Clark said at the hearing, "but I haven’t seen them take action."

Comments

[CAELadyJane50]

03:33 AM on 05/15/2011

I have never joined PC but I have taken a course in college called Cultural Anthropology. I would think it would be best if the people in charge of PC should have a college degree in Cultural Anthropology. I would have to agree the location makes a big difference when it comes to safety. Certain countries are much more territorial than others and have more tribes than others. The more territorial the natives are and the more tribes there are in those countries, the more life-threatening or dangerous. I am just saying this as an opinion based on what I've learned in Cultural Anthropology and viewing History Channel on television about different cultures.

[chaap]

04:28 AM on 05/16/2011

hmm. yes it is a complicated matter and I do agree that anthropological insights are absolutely important in this situation. I hope they have people from the background hired. However, it can also be a dated perception of the 'primitive' and 'native' cultures but today many communities atleast ones I have been exposed to have become quite modern.

[CAELadyJane50]

04:30 PM on 05/16/2011

I learned the rural areas are the most dangerous but the capital cities are generally quite modern.

[vector26436]

03:39 PM on 05/13/2011

Why don't these Liberal women think of what might happen to them when they go into the villages of people with different views of women's standing...Many African Countries are raiding, pillaging, raping and killing each other at this very moment...Trying to change those mores are not going to occur over night. I would never allow my daughter to even travel to those backward, barbaric places let alone living amongst them...

[kitsmom1990]

06:50 PM on 05/13/2011

Question, are you an RPCV and are you speaking from experience? Not that nonPCVs can't share in the discussion, but making disparaging ideological statements about things you really don't know much about doesn't further the discussion. Try speaking from a position of thoughtful experience and not knee jerk ideology. If you don't understand what happens in developing countries and why it happens thats fine but instead of simply spewing out an ideologically driven naivity try reading and learning what drives these countries into chaos and destructive behavior. Those of us who have lived the experience know what we are talking about and we care deeply about these troubled countries. We could use your help but your comments are absolutely not helpful.

[chaap]

04:31 AM on 05/16/2011

and Americans are civilized and peaceful? It's quite a stereotype you have of communities around the world. I suppose the article propagates and confirms the fears of people afraid of 'other' cultures..

[wired]

03:25 PM on 05/13/2011

Here's an example of culture which Peace Corps volunteers may be up against:
Intricate beaded necklaces are a symbol of the Kenyan nation. But to young Samburu girls, the necklaces are a symbol not of national pride, but something much darker, that can lead to rape,
http://articles.cnn.com/2011-05-11/world/kenya.children.beading_1_beading-samburu-girls?_s=PM:WORLD

[blahblahblahreally]

05:55 AM on 05/13/2011

Check out the stats for rape in Burlington , VT, it's twice the national average. But it was touted as in the top ten for most livable cities in the country. On the one hand this story shocks me while at the same time I'm not surprised.

[graffitijoe]

09:30 PM on 05/12/2011

I know people hate to admit it but the civilized world used to be called the civilized world for a reason - before it became politically incorrect.

[kitsmom1990]

10:48 PM on 05/12/2011

The problem is that what has caused the developing world to be "uncivilized" is extremely complex and the "civilized" world has played a role in how a lot of these countries have ended up degenerating into genocide and chaos. Whether you like to admit it or not, colonialism, forcing national bounderies based not on ethnic groups and common interests of indigenous people but on Western European whims, and playing favorites with despotic rulers based on who supports your foreign policy agendas have all played a destructive role in how many of these countries have ended up decending into chaos. This is not a simple choice of west good, developing world bad. If you want to help solve the problem you have to understand how these developing countries ended up in the chaos that they currently exist in. Most people, on both the left and the right, don't want to examine what has actually happened. They simply want to pound on the table and champion their particular ideology. You see it in discussions about Africa (sneared at by the right) and South and Central America (sneared at by the left). The Middle East crisis is about religious extremism but it's also very much about colonialism, and anti-Semitism. Actually teasing out all these complex threads takes thought, nuance, and an awareness of historical realities. Ideologues just are not equipped to do this kind of thinking.

[blahblahblahreally]

06:00 AM on 05/13/2011

I see where you are coming from but I don't always blame the white business man for other cultures treating women in general extremely badly.

[niko73]

02:39 PM on 05/13/2011

A civilized nation is one that bombs poor villages? One that has higher violent crime rates that many developing countries? A civilized nation is one that throws its old people into homes instead of caring for them? One that exploits its natural resources and pollutes its envrionment with more efficiency that any developed country? A civilized nation is one that is 100 times more wealthy than developing countries yet we allow significant portions of our populations die from lack of quality medical care? Is that what you call "civilized," joe?

Civilized is a subjective term. Some communities in developing countries are more civilized in some aspect than we are. It's not policial correctness, it's the truth. Take off your rose colored glasses and maybe you would see. Have you even ever been to a developing country?

[deridaa]

09:21 PM on 05/12/2011

I have heard horror stories for years about the untouchable peace corps thank you for this article! Next expose should be about overseas "prestigious" boarding schools. They have no oversight and students fear speaking out when they return home because transcripts are held back, and schools will blackball anyone from afar reaching into the U.S. The student is never believed between academics because they cover for each other. Most of the time several boarding schools overseas are owned by one group or family.Coverups are the rule- very unsafe.

[kitsmom1990]

05:55 PM on 05/12/2011

First of all, a compliment to all the posters. This is one of the best on-going, serious, and thoughtful discussions I have had the priviledge of having on-line. We don't always agree but there has been so much respect and good will shown in these discussions. It makes me feel a little bit more hopeful about the state of discourse in the States. I have been disparing at the quality of dialogue on some other news stories. Leave it to PCVs to be able to be thoughtful and respectful. A question for all you RPCVs, would you encourage your child to enter Peace Corps service if they expressed a desire to do so? My husband and I are at that stage with our daughter right now. It's been interesting. Although she's blind and I'm not sure PC would medically clear her, she has expressed a desire to serve. Where do you all stand in relationship to your own children and service?

[niko73]

09:34 PM on 05/12/2011

Good question. I would absolutely support my child if he wanted to enter the PC. It's such an amazing experience for some people that I would wish it on anybody. I wouldn't ever push my child towards it, but if he moved in that direction, I would definitely encourage him.

As I've said before on this thread, the people who benefit most from PC are the volunteers. Doing the work is important, and so is sharing our culture with people in developing countries. However, the biggest thing for me is simply living overseas and seeing how other people live. It's such a perception changer and I think exposure to a different place with different customs and people is a very healthy thing for anybody. So I would support my child getting exposed to other countries. Whether that's PC or some other program, that's the most important thing to me.

The security is a bit of a concern. But I won't shelter my child, not allowing him to see the world because it's "dangerous." Life has risks, and if my child was to want to take those risks, I would support him.

[taurendur]

02:50 PM on 05/13/2011

Yes, I would. I think that the Peace Corps is one organization that does a lot to form volunteers into good, thoughtful citizens.

[jgcarroll]

04:52 PM on 05/12/2011

This is a horrible story. While I felt that the in-country administrators took good care of us in Botswana in the early 1990s, it was also apparent that the preservation of Peace Corp's image and reputation as well as its relationship with the local government were among the administration's highest priorities. This is, of course, understandable from the point of view of an administrator, but I was also aware that if the administration had been less ethical or less committed to the volunteers we all could have easily become political casualties in a crisis. Fortunately I had the opportunity to see the administration kick butt on behalf of a couple of volunteers, but it always seemed to me that the political nature of Peace Corps could have produced administrators who were less fiercely committed to their own people; it is, after all, a US government agency of foreign policy that is headed by a politically appointed director.

[niko73]

05:01 PM on 05/12/2011

I agree. Obviously serious steps have to be taken to ensure this doesn't happen again. Safety is the #1 priority in PC, but it seems the agency is not following through on that commitment in some countries. We saw good support in the late 90s in Kenya as well, so I'm dismayed and very disappointed by these stories. As much as this is a black eye and leads commenters and others to want to shut down PC altogether, I thank the media for shedding some light on this serious topic.

As far as ending PC, I hope, and believe, cooler heads will prevail and this amazing program will live on.

[kitsmom1990]

05:37 PM on 05/12/2011

I am with you completely. I can't imagine any former volunteer wanting to see PC dissolved. I think what we want is an agency that is more transparent with its applicants, more direct and honest with its active volunteers as political realities shift in these very unstable countries, and who take the safety and security of active volunteers much more seriously. Peace Corps has to be willing to shut an individual country program down when political realities exceed PC ability to ensure a volunteer's safety. I'll accept a certain amount of personal risk inorder to fulfill my assignment, but I have to know what I'm signing up for and PC has to know when a situation is out of control and the country's program needs to be shut down.

[kitsmom1990]

07:29 PM on 05/12/2011

I am so pleased to hear that your service in Kenya during the late 90s was successful. I was there from 1983 till 1986 mostly in a small village outside Nyahururu. It was an intensly complicated time, frightening political turmoil and the massive drought. I spent a lot of time in Marsabit as well. Thats where a lot of relief work went on. I know the political situation in Kenya over the years has had its serious low points. I have wondered over the years how volunteers have fared during the turmoil.

[Halsey]

01:25 PM on 05/12/2011

I fear the world has changed dramatically since the early years of the Peace Corps. My ex got out of Viet Nam by volunteering and ended up in the Phillipines teaching something (and getting the clap..hey..he was cute and young).
Shriver's dream was very real. Sadly, violence, particularly against women, has gone far beyone epidemic. I just read that every hour 48 women are raped in Congo (Congolese women). Rape has become a weapon of war. It IS time for the Corps to truly look at where they are sending these wonderful volunteers and DUH!!!..ensuring the local administrator has a friggin background check of great proportion! If Benin is too dangerous, we can't have volunteers go there. My gawd, to blame the woman (or man) for being raped IS 12th century thinking. The big flaw, as I see it, is the local heads who do see woman as "less than".

[blfintommy]

12:56 PM on 05/12/2011

Time to ask ourselves if the mission of the Peace Corps is being acheived? If yes, at what cost and at what risk to volunteers? If no, why do we allow the program to continue? These questions can be answered at a congressional hearing and then dealt with. Oh yeah, just what has the Peace Corps acheived since it's inception? If you reply please give a concrete acheivement, not a hypothetical (such as "if not for us x would have happened").

[niko73]

04:47 PM on 05/12/2011

All three goals of the PC are being acheived.

1. Helping the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women.
2. Helping promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served.
3. Helping promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.

Too many people think PC only has one goal, the first one. They're wrong. The other two are just as important, and I and other PCVs would argue MORE important. PC is a cultural exchange program with a bit of a twist.

Let me be frank: PC helps American volunteers more than anyone else. This program is about growing great Americans and making our country better. You mention "concrete acheivements" so I'll give you some: I'm a better American and so is my son.

[kitsmom1990]

11:49 AM on 05/13/2011

Bravo, well said!

[taurendur]

02:57 PM on 05/13/2011

I second that. Both my wife and I are better for it. Not only that, but all of our friends and family who received our e-mail updates learned so much about a foreign culture (the good, the bad, and the ugly), so they, too, are better for our service.

[Marc Thibault]

12:13 PM on 05/12/2011

In 2004, wasn't Gaddi H. Vasquez the director?

[taurendur]

11:55 AM on 05/12/2011

After reading the comments, a few things need to be cleared up.

You always have the option of leaving the Peace Corps. It's a process called Early Termination (or ET for short). You call the main country office and they promptly send you home (sometimes the very day you say you want to ET). They buy you a plane ticket out of there, so it's not even on your own dime. The only penalty is to your pride at not finishing.

As for communication, almost every volunteer has a cell phone, and if there isn't service in the village, then there's a satellite phone available, per Peace Corps rules. There are strict requirements for villages to have a volunteer.

The US spends billions on aid overseas, but those billions flow through USAID. Peace Corps has it's own minuscule budget of 400 million dollars. To put that into perspective, that's less than the $500 million the military spends on it's marching bands (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/06/AR2010090603018.html). In my opinion, the $400 million is money well spent sowing the seeds of peace and creating a more open-minded citizenry. People in my village now have a face to put to the name "America." If terrorist organizations try spouting anti-US propaganda, that won't jive with the villagers' real-life, positive experiences they had with me. Additionally, I'm far more proud to be an American and my friends know more about the world.

[kitsmom1990]

01:13 PM on 05/12/2011

Agreed, ET is always an option, but as you are well aware, the pull and desire to complete your service is incredibly intense. You become a part of the community. People trust you and depend on you to do the job you were sent to do. The bridges of understanding and mutual respect are one of the amazing things about PC service. ET is a final resort. Very few volunteers who have survived the initial culture shock want to take that option. We will put up with a lot because we feel so strongly about the work we do and the people we serve. You are right USAID and Peace Corps have historically had an uneasy relationship. The goals of the 2 agencies are different at times, but sometimes they can work together quite effectively. In the 80s during the famine, USAID was invaluable to me up-country. I will always remember that even as it is easy to polk fun at some of the USAID projects that have turned out to be abismal failures for which those of us in PC knew they would be.

[Alison Calder]

02:13 PM on 05/12/2011

It's impossible to apply for institutional relief after you've been murdered, and perhaps too late -- in certain, important ways -- after you've been raped. However, I'm sure your comforting words about the relative bargain we're all getting would be warmly welcomed by the families of Deborah Gardner, Karen Phillips, Kate Puzey, and others murdered while in Peace Corps service (Gardner and Puzey by members of the Peace Corps family).

[Alison Calder]

11:45 AM on 05/12/2011

Kate Puzey, mentioned in the article above, was murdered in Benin in 2009. In case you think deaths during Peace Corps service are isolated incidents, you might want to talk to the families of Cannon Stamm, Stephanie Chance, Thomas Maresco, So-Youn Kim, Joseph Chow, Bertie Lee Murphy, Catherine Saltwick, Blythe Anne O’Sullivan, John Douglas Roberts, Marilyn Foss, Julia Cecele Campbell, Justin Brady, Matthew Costa, Tessa Horan, Wyatt Ammon, Patricia Scataloni, Melissa Mosvick, Gregor Baker, Rik Weiss, Zachary Merrill, Ronald McDearman, Elizabeth Bowers, Susan Fagan, Wyatt Pillsbury, Walter Poirier (missing), Carlos Amador, Natalie Waldinger, Larisa Jaffe, Jang Lee, Jennifer Leah Rose, Judith Pasmore, William DiDiego, Jesse Patrick Thyne, and Justin Bhansali Guinea. And that list takes us back only to the year 2000. AND it doesn't include those raped, beaten, robbed, or threatened -- only those dead or missing. This list includes deaths from "accidents," heart attacks, and others that "appear to be from natural causes" (to quote one article), but some autopsy reports are "inconclusive," or, even for those who died as long as ten years ago or more, or still "pending."

[Lelerd Moore]

01:25 PM on 05/12/2011

Great piece and an eye opener. When our find young men and women join the peace corp they deserve better. We should immediately fire and proscute every one who ever told these young men and women to hide these crimes. The foriegn affairs committee should be ashamed of their lack of control for these fine young folks. God Bless them all..

[fem56]

01:32 PM on 05/12/2011

No doubt there are dangers involved in joining the Peace Corp. Even though the Peace Corp volunteers do an incredible service they are placed in third world countries.

[Alison Calder]

04:33 PM on 05/12/2011

Quite a sensitive reply, but really, as it turns out, it's worse for Peace Corps volunteers than for the average citizens of those "third-world countries." From the San Francisco Chronicle: "A 2010 report by the Peace Corps' inspector general found that when compared with crime statistics gathered by the United Nations from 86 countries, Peace Corps volunteers suffered higher rates of rape and burglary than every nation reporting."

[kkehoe5]

10:55 AM on 05/12/2011

Objection!

http://i432.photobucket.com/albums/qq47/Tyrael_011/My%20baby/objection.jpg

[Pierre99]

10:51 AM on 05/12/2011

Welcome to the Piece Corps.