Peace Corps Job Posting for Victim Advocate

Within the past two weeks, Peace Corps posted a Victim Advocate position on their website. After the first posting was taken down and re-vamped, it re-appeared this week in it's current, more robust form. The Victim Advocate will be based in D.C.

Here are the highlights:

Job Title: Program Advisor (Victims Advocate)

Agency: Peace Corps

DUTIES:(The duties described reflect the full performance level of this position)

Serves as the principal agency advocate for Volunteers who become victims of crime. Develops processes to ensure effective communications channels for victims.

Establish best practices protocols for victim support.

Develops training objectives and course materials for formal training programs in the area of victims advocacy.

Performs liaisons and consultations with other federal agencies and outside organizations on victims support and advocacy.

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Qualifications and Evaluations

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED:

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:(The KSAs below may not apply at all grades)

Demonstrated knowledge of victims advocacy protocols, programs, best practices.

Ability to conduct complex analyses of institutional policies, practices and procedures.

Ability to identify and develop corrective strategies aimed and ensuring holistic support services and systems for victims of crimes.

Ability to communicate with senior level policy makers in government and outside experts in the area of victims advocacy.

Ability to coordinate response and support services and track outcomes.

Ability to work in a multi-cultural context

Take a look at the full Victim Advocate job posting for yourself and let me know what you think at firstresponseaction@gmail.com.

Casey

Jan. 14: ABC News 20/20 Episode about Rape, Murder and Sexual Assault in Peace Corps

ABC News has been working on several news pieces related to incidents of sexual assault and rape in Peace Corps. They have also investigated the case of Kate Puzey, the Volunteer who was murdered in 2009 in West Africa. All of these pieces are in a 20/20 episode scheduled to air next Friday 1/14 at 10 p.m. Eastern Time. They will have companion pieces posted on their website, which you can check out here: http://abcnews.go.com/2020. The episode should also be available after the airing on ABC's website.

Coalition members and First Response Action supporters participated in interviews with ABC, which will be part of the show next week. Six survivors, including Coalition members Casey Frazee and Jess Smochek, participated in a panel discussion led by Brian Ross. ABC News also further investigated Jess' story. The Coalition members have not seen the finished piece and we welcome your feedback after the airing.

News from the 12/9/10 Peace Corps Meeting

It was a cold, snowy day in Washington, D.C. when four members of the First Response Action Coalition, the volunteer board which manges First Response Action, met with Peace Corps officials at Peace Corps' headquarters. Representatives from the Office of Medical Services, Safety & Security and the Office of Special Services were in attendance as well as the Chief of Staff, Deputy Director and an official whose position is focused on examining Volunteer and staff sexual assault training during Pre-Service Training(PST) and beyond.

Casey Frazee, Karen Moldovan, Kate Finn and Jess Smochek met with Peace Corps officials to discuss the genesis of First Response Action and the current and ongoing need for policy, training, response and treatment reform. Peace Corps was apologetic to the survivors on the Coalition and the other women and men who have survived trauma and were not well-treated by Peace Corps officials.

While Casey and Jess focused on the human cost of the lack of consistency with current protocols, Karen, with her background as the Program Manager at the Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault, focused on best practices in the field and models to work with survivors. Kate outlined resources available to Peace Corps and discussed items that would strengthen survivor support resources, such as a non-Peace Corps staff advisory committee and the review of training and support materials by best-practice agencies in the field.

Peace Corps briefed the Coalition members on their current changes in training and response to survivors. (Coalition Note: Specifics on treatment and follow-up were not discussed due to time constraints, but this is high on the priority list in follow-up conversations.)

Highlights from Peace Corps' updates include:

• An updated handbook to replace the circa 1996 - 2004 'Rape Response Handbook' is anticipated to be approved and ready to be distributed during the first quarter of 2011.
• A version of the Survivor Bill of Rights, outlining Peace Corps' commitment to Volunteers who are survivors of assault and rape is also expected to be approved and released in the first quarter of 2011.
• Peace Corps Medical Officers (PCMOs) and Regional Security Officers (RSOs) are receiving more training and are being more rigorously managed. RSOs now need to have increased certification to serve in their positions.
• Peace Corps is consulting with other agencies on how to improve training, including the Office of Violence Against Women, the Dept. of Defense, the FBI and the American Foreign Service, among others.

The meeting closed with a commitment from Peace Corps that a designated staff member and First Response Action founder Casey Frazee will keep in contact. Peace Corps made a commitment to share the approved materials (survivor bill of rights, updated handbook, etc.) with First Response Action. Peace Corps also asked First Response Action to provide a resource list of agencies and individuals who could be catalysts for change in the development of improved protocol for sexual assault and rape.

Peace Corps officials at the meeting appeared to be engaged and committed to Volunteer safety and security.

"I'm cautiously optimistic," says Coalition member Karen about the tone of the Peace Corps meeting and commitment to continue a working relationship.

The work has only just begun.

First Response Action Coalition members in front of Peace Corps headquarters

From L to R: Jess, Karen, Casey and Kate

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Peace.

Peace Corps is Supportive of Change

Several weeks ago, I had a conference call with two Peace Corps staff members, one from the Office of Safety & Security (S&S) and the other from the Office of Medical Services (OMS). Both of them told me that the letter I wrote to Director Aaron Williams, regarding the need for increased support of survivors of sexual and other physical crimes, was taken very seriously and given priority to follow-up.

Here are some highlights from the call:

• Peace Corps is working on a Rape Response Handbook for use in-country. This would outline procedure and protocol for PC staff and should be available by July. From what I understood on the call, this would only be available on the PC Intranet - not available for PCV viewing - though parts of this handbook would be accessible to PCVs.
• A Survivor Bill of Rights is to be included in the next version of the Volunteer Handbook, supposedly due out this year. This is Item One on the 7-Point Plan and apparently PC has had this in the works for quite awhile. This was incredibly heartening to learn.
• PC is working with the advocacy group SOAR - Speaking Out About Rape and as the representative from S&S said "many of the groups listed on the First Response Action blog." It is uplifting to hear that PC is taking notes from state and national organizations that work closely with issues of rape and sexual assault to guide their procedure.
• S&S' relatively new (2008) director is more survivor-centered than past directors and is focusing on prevention as well as supporting PCVs after incidents.
• There are plans in the works to re-create the training video which so many PCVs/RPCVs find offensive and victim-blaming. Te three survivors featured in the training video had consumed alcohol when their incidents happened, which naturally draws the conclusion (for many who view the video) that PC is blaming the victims for the attacks they suffered.
• PC is going to look into beefing up online resources and links for family and friends of PCV survivors. This was one of the items in the 7-Point Plan.
• Informed Consent for survivors who are determining whether or not to press charges was discussed. It appears that PC's track record for dealing with legal issues around the world is very good. However, if not all volunteers are receiving enough appropriate information with which to make an informed decision, then this is a major gap in the system.

Overall, the staff I spoke with were very affirmative of the 7-Point Plan and implementing systems to better support volunteers. So much of this boils down to staff in-country at the time of an incident. Staff turnover is frequent, by design, and this causes many issues with historical knowledge and uniformity in dealing with issues.

It is heartening to hear that PC has so many items already in the works to better support PCVs who are survivors of sexual and physical abuse. I only hope the new items can get rolled-out quickly for the benefit of currently-serving and incoming PCVs.

Peace.

Editor's Note 4/18/10: While the initial conversation with Peace Corps medical and security staff went well, it is understood that nothing new is in place yet. At this very moment, the same system is at work, which means that PCVs are still susceptible to the complications from "business as usual." That is why the First Response Action Coalition will be continuing to follow-up and make sure that PCVs are supported and that the necessary change happens. Having plans and implementing plans are certainly two different stories.

While I understand the skepticism from the comments and others who have emailed, I think if Peace Corps is saying that they also recognize a change has to be made, then we should believe them. We will just be more vigilant to make sure Peace Corps follows through. Thank you again for your comments and emails. I always welcome comments, stories and perspectives on rape and sexual assault in Peace Corps. You can email me at firstresponseaction@gmail.com.

Confirmation Received from Director Williams

It is with great pleasure that I announce that I received a letter back from Aaron Williams, current director of Peace Corps, on March 17, 2010!

(Please note: While my intent is to keep this blog focused on the facts, PCV stories and generally written from the third person, I am going to write this post from my own first person account as I feel it is necessary and important for this particular post.)

I am so thankful that Director Williams appears to be taking my situation - and similar situations - seriously. This is a serious matter and I look forward to working with Peace Corps to address the issues of rape and sexual assault against PCVs. Director Williams is also an RPCV and I was hoping he would be open to RPCVs coming to him with suggestions for positive change. I am elated that he responded so positively!

I feel that it is very important here to reiterate that I am a proponent of Peace Corps. Up until I was assaulted, I smiled broadly every day knowing I made the right move to do HIV/AIDS outreach work in a country with the highest AIDS rates in the world even though my family and friends said I was crazy. I felt that I was up to the challenge of the "toughest job you'll ever love." (Which is a Peace Corps' slogan.)

My mission with First Response Action is to enhance what Peace Corps already does in terms of sexual assault and rape protocols. Had my situation been handled differently and had I received the necessary care more quickly, I could very well have managed through a difficult situation and continued my service. I am hoping that with policy creation (and/or enhancement) that we can put protocols in place that will assist other PCV survivors so they can get the care and support they need and possibly continue service.

Many RPCVs will tell you that the retention rates in Peace Corps could be better - a lot better. I was told for Africa to expect that 50% of my group would dissipate by the elusive year one mark. For my training group, that's just about right. At last count, about 40-45% of my group has left our country of service - and 3 of us left due to assault. If PCV survivors were managed better across the board, then there is the possibility that they would be physically, mentally and emotionally prepared to continue service. Ultimately, retention of volunteers saves Peace Corps time, effort, materials, monetary resources not to mention that retention is also helpful to maintain good relations with the host country.

On an average annual basis between 2004-2008, roughly 4% of the Peace Corps Volunteer population is raped, sexually assaulted, kidnapped, stalked or otherwise violated. These statistics come from Peace Corps materials - the annual Safety of the Volunteer Reports posted on their website. I have not heard from every single one of the combined 20% of violated PCVs over that five year period (which amounts to nearly 1,500 volunteers, by the way) but I have spoken with several women who experienced trauma as a PCV and who were not taken care of. I am striving to help those people.

As those of us who work with organizations who work with survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault will tell you, rape and sexual assault are grossly underreported. Those 1,500 are a sliver of what is really happening.

Sexual assaults are notoriously underreported. Fewer than half (48%) of all rapes and sexual assaults are reported to the police in the U.S. (Department of Justice, 2001)

Within the Peace Corps community, that's no different.

These crimes are intimate violations and can be shaming or embarassing to admit. Many people keep their stories to themselves. Personally, I have actively chosen to bypass the shaming stage so I can move straight forward towards positive change. I do this so that other men and women can avoid situations like mine. That doesn't mean that I don't feel, at times, that there is some scarlet lettering on my chest, but I push through because I need to. Too many of us have been violated and sent out of our countries of service. No more.

If you are a survivor who is reading this right now - please know that you did nothing wrong. NO ONE deserves to be violated.

While there are many stories of survivors who were handled improperly, I also heard stories of survivors who were treated well, med-evac'd as needed, and were able to continue their service. I am striving to level that playing field. Why isn't everyone attended to in the same manner? I am striving to create and implement protocols that will ensure that EACH and EVERY survivor is treated in the same respectful manner. I am hoping to enhance what Peace Corps already has in place.

In upcoming blogs, we, the First Response Action Coalition, are planning to have guest bloggers discuss the ramifications of sexual assault and rape, proper protocols, the importance of not blaming the victim, etc. I also plan to post some additional survivor stories. Please keep in mind as you read this blog that while it started because of my assault, I am not alone as an RPCV victim of sexual assault.

Annually, an average of 4% of PCVs experience a violent crime, sexual abuse, stalking, kidnapping, a death threat or even death. Some people are not emotionally or mentally prepared to go public with such a personal story. I respect that immensely. As someone who has been violated, I understand that everyone approaches these issues in their own personal way. Peace Corps has these statistics and can contact each of them to see how they felt their situation was handled.

While prevention is optimal, for those survivors of sexual assault, rape and other violent crime, I am striving to work with Peace Corps to bring about protocol to better support those volunteers.

I hope that my response from Director Williams, with his request for the Office of Volunteer Support and the Office of Safety and Security to follow-up with me, will be the beginning of a collaboration to enhance the current Peace Corps model. Though my story didn't end well, I continue to support Peace Corps as an organization and I am proud to call myself a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer for the United States of America.

Peace. And Sala Sentle.

Casey

Expanding First Response Action

Over the last several weeks, since the article I wrote for the National Peace Corps Association's publication WorldView was published, two members have joined the task force of the First Response Action Coalition.

I would like to extend my immense gratitude to Karen Moldovan and Katie Campbell. Both are RPCVs who served in Tonga. Both of them are passionate about reforming the way the current Peace Corps system works with survivors. They also feel strongly about advocating for Peace Corps to move away from the detrimental 'blame the victim' training that is administered in many countries where Peace Corps operates.

Katie, among her many talents, is a fantastic graphic designer. She created the new logo and color scheme for First Response Action which are now on this blog and also on all of the material we send out about this mission.

Karen has been an advocate for many underserved populations, including survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence, over her career. She has been steadfast in her support of this mission and I am so thankful to both Karen and Katie that our paths have crossed!

A lot of our work is behind-the-scenes at this moment and I don't want to post any details until something more concrete happens. I will certainly post important updates on this blog as they happen - so keep checking back!

If you are reading this, thank you for finding First Response Action. I hope you feel compelled to support in another way. If you passed this link along to a friend, thank you. You have shared this mission. Thank you for your support!

Please email firstresponseaction@gmail.com if you are interested in supporting sexual assault policy reform or if you have a story to share regarding sexual assault and the Peace Corps community.

Peace.