Steps Peace Corps Has Taken to Improve Support to Victims of Crime

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. First Response Action was founded to support Peace Corps Volunteers who are survivors of sexual and physical assault through advocacy and reform to Peace Corps policies and procedures. This month we would like to acknowledge and celebrate the steps forward that Peace Corps has recently taken to address the critical issues of training, prevention and response in the area of sexual and physical assault.

Commitment

This year, Peace Corps released a document entitled “Commitment to Sexual Assault Victims” which gives a general outline of Peace Corps’ response to victims of sexual assault. This commitment includes seven key areas: compassion, safety, support, legal options, open communication, continuation of service and privacy. While the document is uses broad language and is not specific, this commitment is a step in the right direction. This Commitment is to be included in all Volunteer Handbooks and will be mailed to Invitees as well. Peace Corps states that the Commitment will be widely distributed within Peace Corps so that Volunteers at all stages (Invitees to Trainees to sworn-in Volunteers) know Peace Corps commitment to them. First Response Action celebrates this Commitment. We look forward to working with Peace Corps to ensure that the commitments that they make are enacted in specific services for victims of crime.

Information

Peace Corps is increasing the amount of information that goes public about their safety and support protocols. In February, Peace Corps released a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) document to provide more information about how they have updated their safety planning and are better equipped to respond to incidents of rape and sexual assault.

Peace Corps improved the Family & Friends section of their website to inform loved ones about Peace Corps’ response to the issue of sexual assault. The site now has several paragraphs dedicated to this issue which outline their response and commitment to training. Having contact information for Peace Corps D.C. that family and friends could contact if their loved one has experienced trauma would further improve this re-vamped section.

Worldwide Staff Training

Peace Corps is in the process of rolling out a revised global training curriculum for in-country staff. Director of Safety and Security Ed Hobson said that once the training is rolled out and the first phase is complete, Peace Corps will continue into the next phase of the program which includes Volunteer training and evaluation. In a recent conference call with Peace Corps safety and security staff, they reported that only one country is left to complete their staff training. Considering we are only in the beginning of the second quarter of 2011, this is a giant step for staff education on sexual violence! We look forward to receiving information from the training evaluations and to hear how Peace Corps staff have adjusted the way they respond to victims of crime.

Sexual Assault Working Group

In the fall of 2010, Peace Corps Director Williams initiated a working group of Peace Corps staff members to address the issue of rape and physical and sexual assault against Volunteers. According to Peace Corps’ fact sheet, the group’s goal is “to analyze current agency protocols and recommend strategies to reduce the incidence of sexual assault and rape, and to strengthen support for victims.” Director Williams has been a great advocate for the issue of sexual assault perpetrated against Peace Corps Volunteers. The creation of this internal committee shows Peace Corps’ commitment to properly addressing this issue. The committee has staff who are Returned Volunteers, staff who have experience in the fields of social work, psychology, crime scene investigation and public health. First Response Action also looks forward to the possibility that Peace Corps may open up this working group to include external experts in the field.

Victim Advocate

Earlier this year, Peace Corps posted a position for a Victim Advocate to be based in D.C. and respond to victims of crime. First Response Action outlined the importance of globally-placed regional Victim Advocates in our meeting with Peace Corps in December 2010. Victim Advocates (VA) are a best practices model where the Volunteer has one main point of contact and the VA manages connections to care and resources for the Volunteer. In a recent conference call with Peace Corps staff, they reported that the Victim Advocate should be joining Peace Corps soon and that there is already quite a long list of to-do’s when this person starts. First Response Action is thrilled to work with the Victim Advocate once they get started and feel comfortable in their position.

The Way Forward

First Response Action is enthused that Peace Corps has taken these steps to improve Volunteer safety. First Response Action acknowledges that not all incidents of rape and sexual assault can be prevented, but all can be responded to appropriately and improvements can be made to training to better educate Volunteers on the issue. These are the critical first steps that are necessary to improve training and response. First Response Action advocates for legislation to be added to the Peace Corps Act so that these changes are cemented in the Peace Corps structure to protect and care for all Volunteers. Volunteers must be trained appropriately, be guaranteed certain rights if they become victims of crime, and receive the appropriate support following incidents of rape and sexual and physical assault.

"Solidarity Not Sympathy"

Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, graduate student and all-around spectacular person AJ Kumar wrote an article for the site go.girl.magazine in acknowledgement of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. In this article, he mentions First Response Action as a way for people to engage in stemming the tide of sexual assault and rape by bringing solidarity and not just sympathy to the situation. A selection of AJ's article is below. You can find his whole piece here.

Given that April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, I’m dedicating this month’s column to highlighting a few movements that address support for victims of sexual assault and ways for men to be a bigger part of the solution.

First Response Action

There are many ways to stand in solidarity against sexual violence. Perhaps one of the most important ways is to advocate for victims and provide them with the needed support and services. In the Peace Corps, the way each post responds to sexual assault and rape is not always uniform. To be clear, they are not ignoring the problem and do have some systems in place.

For example, in South Africa, the medical unit made it a point to talk about the need to get in touch with them immediately if one was ever raped so that they could get the victim on PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis), in order to minimize the risk of transmission of HIV. If taken within 72 hours, PEP can drastically reduce the chances of transmission and its something that more people should be aware of, even outside of SA.

Much of the support needed after an incident of rape or sexual assault though, is not related to bio-medicine, but rather to mental health. On this front, there are many ways that the situation could be improved in the Peace Corps and elsewhere.

During the two years I served in South Africa, there were multiple rapes of female PCVs and there were multiple incidences of sexual assault. Our post and our fellow PCVs responded to these in a sometimes haphazard way. Sometimes facts were distorted. Sometimes victims were blamed. Neither of these are acceptable. I think much of this was due to both our post and our PCVs not taking enough time to prepare a response to sexual assault and rape. Fortunately though, out of this chaos has emerged a movement within the Peace Corps community to do better.

First Response Action is an advocacy group headed by Casey Frazee, a fellow South Africa PCV, who was a victim both of sexual assault and of poor support from the post after the incident. Casey is trying to get the Peace Corps to adopt a 7 Point Plan to provide a more uniform and supportive response to the realities of sexual violence against volunteers. It is a cause not just for victims, but for all fellow volunteers, and friends and families of volunteers to stand together with those that have been victims of sexual violence.

To get the ear of a big government organization like the Peace Corps, we need all the support we can get. Please visit http://firstresponseaction.blogspot.com/ to find out more about the campaign and see how you can help. Of course, this response may be specific to Peace Corps, but the problem is not. It’s worthwhile looking into whatever organization you work for or travel with to see if they have a well thought out strategy to respond to incidents of sexual violence.

AJ Kumar, RPCV South Africa

In a recent post, here, I shared that the Peace Corps representatives I spoke with in March said that they are supportive of change. In fact, they already have momentum in the direction of a Survivor Bill of Rights being included in the Volunteer Handbook. Several of the other items on the 7-Point Plan are yet to be determined, but the First Response Action Coalition remains vigilant of progress, ultimately keeping survivors and current volunteers as the highest priority.

Peace.

Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Karen Moldovan, Advocacy Coordinator for the Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault, is one of the stellar recent additions to the First Response Action Coalition team. She is an RPCV who served in the Kingdom of Tonga.

Karen is incredibly passionate about issues surrounding sexual assault and she has been instrumental and bringing First Response Action to the next level. She coordinated efforts that led to First Response Action's endorsement by state and national organizations that work with issues surrounding sexual assault.

Karen has strong experience working with advocacy, education, international development, public policy and community organizing. In recognition of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, she has written a piece for the blog.

April is National Sexual Assault Awareness Month and provides an opportunity to highlight year-round efforts to aid those affected by sexual violence and work to prevent future sexual assaults. In President Obama’s 2010 Sexual Assault Awareness Month Proclamation, he states, “During National Sexual Assault Awareness Month, we recommit ourselves not only to lifting the veil of secrecy and shame surrounding sexual violence, but also to raising awareness, expanding support for victims, and strengthening our response.” His statement clearly resonates with the mission of First Response Action.

According to researchers in this field, disastrous response (disbelief, failure of support, lack of protection for the victim, protection of the offender) is a factor that
correlates with primary severe trauma in victims (Hindman 1990 & 1999). As this research shows, the importance of first response cannot be underestimated. Members of the First Response Action Coalition are enthusiastic about the dialogue with Peace Corps staff. We recognize this dialogue as a first step to strengthening and improving critical support systems for Peace Corps Volunteers.

This work is incredibly vital. Of all human experiences of trauma, sexual trauma is second in severity only to those who have experienced active combat (Wilson, Smith & Johnson in Figley, 1985). According to a 2007 World Health Organization report, 64% of Americans believe that a woman’s appearance provokes rape. 60% believe that women who go out alone are putting themselves at greater risk of rape (Ward, 1995). Communities across the world are challenging thesedamaging rape myths by organizing “Take Back the Night” rallies, Denim Day protests, Vagina Monologues performances, and other consciousness raising activities. “Men Can Stop Rape” is organizing community speak-outs, trainings, discussions, and film screenings across the nation.

If you are currently a PCV, know that the anti-rape movement is an INTERNATIONAL movement. We would love to hear what you are doing to honor Sexual Assault Awareness Month during your Peace Corps service! If you are a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer or supporter, take the time to find out what your local rape crisis center or state coalition is organizing in your community.

Karen Moldovan, RPCV Tonga

Advocacy Coordinator

Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault

For more information about Sexual Assault Awareness Month or to find events in your area, visit http://www.nsvrc.org/saam.

Peace.