Article: For raped Peace Corps volunteers, little choice

From Irin Carmon at Salon.com: 

 

For raped Peace Corps volunteers, little choice

Peace Corp volunteer tells Salon about being violated twice and denied abortion coverage, due to politics (UPDATE)

 

Update, 7:30 p.m.: A Peace Corps spokesperson responds:

“The safety and security of Peace Corps Volunteers is our highest priority. Over the past few years, we’ve put in place a number of new, significant practices and safeguards to reduce the risks for Volunteers and ensure victims of crime receive compassionate and effective support.

The Peace Corps supports Senator Lautenberg’s bill and the President’s Fiscal Year 2014 budget, which extends the same rights and protections to female Peace Corps Volunteers as many of their federal colleagues by applying exceptions on abortion restrictions as outlined in the Hyde Amendment.”

Original post:

As Mary Kate Shannon waited to find out if she was pregnant after being raped for the second time as a Peace Corps volunteer in Peru, the healthcare coordinator told her her options were limited. “If I were pregnant, the Peace Corps could not pay for the abortion due to some kind of federal law,” Shannon recalled in an interview with Salon. They would, however, pay for parenting classes.

“I felt betrayed,” Shannon said. “I felt like it was a decision that was going to be made for me. I wasn’t in a place financially where I felt like I could pay for it.”

The pregnancy test came back negative, but the experience led Shannon to support the newly introduced Peace Corps Equity Act, which would extend insurance coverage for Peace Corps volunteers for abortions in instances of rape.  ”The Peace Corps is the only government agency that doesn’t have [insurance coverage of abortion services] for women who become pregnant as a result of rape – it’s a technical fix in that sense,” said Casey Frazee of First Response Action, an advocacy group for Peace Corps volunteers who are survivors of sexual assault.

Women make up about 60 percent of Peace Corps volunteers. It’s difficult to know whether the rate of sexual violence, reported or unreported, is higher for them than in the United States, but their often-isolated circumstances, the perception of young American women as sexually available, and institutional neglect all exacerbated the situation. “Faraway legal systems, magnified aloneness and isolation, being away from family in your greatest hour of need, and the unique form of mental health support we receive because of limited in country resources volunteers receive if they chose to return to service,” were some of the factors Shannon cited in a blog post for First Response Action.

That indifference or victim-blaming had been the culture of the Peace Corps for decades became clear in the testimony before Congress for what would become the Kate Puzey Peace Corps Volunteer Protection Act, signed by Obama in 2011. Dr. Karestan Koenen testified that after being raped as a volunteer in Niger, she experienced a series of inadequate or harmful responses, including the staff member at the inspector general’s office who told her, “I am so sick of you girls going over there, drinking, dancing and flirting, and then, if a guy comes on to you, you say you have been raped when you have led them on.”

Carol Marie Clark, who was a Peace Corps volunteer in Nepal in the mid-1980s, testified that after she was raped by the program director, the Peace Corps told her to “terminate my pregnancy or terminate my service with the Peace Corps.” She flew to Honolulu and had an abortion, but the Peace Corps “provided no funding for the procedure. Instead, the family of my best friend sent me the money I needed.” When she returned to Nepal, she was raped and beaten by a Nepalese official who held her captive at knife point for hours. Clark cited a 2010 annual volunteer survey that indicated that nearly 40 percent of victims of rape, 44 percent of victims of attempted rape, and nearly 50 percent of victims of sexual assault had decided not to report the crime.

Any legislation expanding access to reproductive services likely grinds to a halt at the door of the House, and the same was true when the House spent its last cycle busily passing showy restrictions on abortion that would die in the Senate. But the single exception so far has been coverage of abortion for raped servicewomen and dependents through the Shaheen Amendment this year, which was included in the National Defense Authorization Act. And the congressional reforms on sexual assault response were broadly bipartisan.

The Peace Corps Equity Act, introduced Thursday by Sen. Frank Lautenberg, would be an incremental policy change, but a potentially doable one that gives Republicans the unappetizing choice between “expand[ing] federal involvement in abortion,” as Americans United for Life president Charmaine Yoest put it (disparagingly) and appearing to be callous to the needs of rape survivors. (Just in time, Todd Akin is borderline threatening a comeback.)

Shannon says that though there’s a ways to go in implementing an efficient and consistent response to raped Peace Corps volunteers, she was the beneficiary of the 2011 legislation, including the fact that she had an official victims’ advocate to see her through the process. But when it came to her potential pregnancy, ”I felt like no one was fighting for me at that point.”

Read more at Salon.com. Follow writer Irin Carmon on Twitter at @irincarmon or email her at icarmon@salon.com.

Article: Women’s health groups want Peace Corps volunteers to have insurance coverage for abortions

From Lisa Rein at the Washington Post:

If a Peace Corps volunteer is raped and becomes pregnant as a result, she has to pay for an abortion herself, because the federal government refuses to cover the cost.

Yet women on the paid Peace Corps staff, along with other federal employees, federal prisoners, women on Medicaid and Native Americans, have long received insurance coverage for abortions in cases of rape or incest or if their health is in danger. In January, women in the military got the same access.

The ban for Peace Corps volunteers has been in place since 1979, when Congress attached a rider to the agency’s annual appropriation amid other laws restricting federal funding for abortion. But now women’s health groups are pushing to strip it from federal law, hoping public opinion is on their side.

They’re emboldened by recent scrutiny from Congress of sexual assaults in the humanitarian agency and a growing number of Peace Corps volunteers who are speaking openly about their experiences.

Their efforts got a boost this month from the Obama administration, which put language in the proposed 2014 budget that allows federal coverage for abortions for Peace Corps volunteers in cases of rape, incest and when the woman’s health is endangered.

And Thursday, Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) introduced a bill supporting the same coverage for volunteers that is offered to other women who get federal health benefits.

“This is really about fixing what feels like an antiquated provision [of law] that’s completely out of sync with the way we treat civil servants,” said Aram Schvey, policy counsel for foreign policy and human rights at the Center for Reproductive Rights.

Lautenberg, long an advocate for the Peace Corps and global women’s rights, said in a statement, “It is unacceptable that their own country restricts their access to care.”

Peace Corps spokeswoman Shira Kramer said in a statement that the agency supports a change that “provides female volunteers with the same rights and protections as many of their female colleagues.”

Antiabortion groups have vowed to fight removal of the ban, which they consider an effort by the Obama administration to expand abortion services. Americans United for Life said the Peace Corps is failing to keep volunteers safe.

“Rather than addressing the egregious security concerns that we should all have for these young women who are being sent in dangerous situations, the Obama administration and their allies are using the horrific events in . . . [their] lives to expand federal involvement in abortion,” Charmaine Yoest, the group’s president, said in a statement.

But the issue may prove tricky for lawmakers with antiabortion records. The issue of exceptions for rape and incest in abortion restrictions has become a hypersensitive issue since Missouri’s Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, Todd Akin, told a St. Louis television station last fall that “legitimate rape” victims rarely get pregnant. His comments helped cost him the election. Calls from The Washington Post to five House members and one senator went unreturned.

The Lautenberg bill is co-sponsored by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), author of an amendment to the defense bill the president signed into law in January that repeals a ban on abortion coverage for women in the armed services who are victims of rape or incest. Military insurance had only covered abortions performed to save the woman’s life.

Advocates said they were encouraged by that change, and by passage in 2011 of a law that provides better protections for volunteers who report wrongdoing and provides them better training on how to avoid attacks and sexual assaults.

The Peace Corps has about 8,700 volunteers serving in 77 countries. About 60 percent are women. Every year, on average, 22 volunteers report being the victims of rape or attempted rape, the agency said. From 2000 to 2009, the last year for which statistics are available, more than 1,000 volunteers reported sexual assaults, including 221 rapes or attempted rapes. Experts say the incidence is likely higher.

Corps volunteer Carol Clark told a congressional panel in 2011 that she became pregnant after being raped by a Peace Corps employee during her tour of Nepal in 1984, and an agency official said she had to make a choice: Get an abortion or quit her service. But the agency would not pay for the abortion.

“It was just matter of fact, the way he said it,” Clark, now 51 and a teacher in North Carolina, said in an interview. A friend’s parents paid for the procedure, she said.

Mary Kate Shannon, 27, was raped twice during her 18-month tour in Peru, which ended four months ago. The first attack, in October 2011, was by a taxi driver who was convicted and sent to prison.

A year later she was attacked while on vacation with a Peruvian man who she said raped her in a youth hostel. The Peace Corps flew her back to Washington for counseling.

The agency’s international health coordinator told her the Peace Corps could not pay for an abortion if it turned out she was pregnant. It would, however, pay for parenting classes, Shannon said she was told.

“I kept saying, ‘But it was rape, I was raped,’ ” Shannon recounted in an interview.

Shannon said the woman told her to pay for the procedure from her $5,000 readjustment allowance.

“Thankfully, the pregnancy test was negative,” she said. “But I felt angry and so betrayed by what they told me.”

Kramer called the safety and security of volunteers “our highest priority” and cited new safeguards to reduce the risk of violence. But she said the issue “is about equal rights for our female volunteers.”

One of the reasons the rider was able to exempt volunteers from coverage provided to other federal employees is that volunteers technically are not federal workers, and not covered by the federal health plan.

Read the entire article here and join the discussion on their website.

Peace Corps Town Hall Meeting Tomorrow 4/2

Peace Corps is hosting a Town Hall meeting tomorrow from 6-7:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Email your questions to thirdgoal@peacecorps.gov! Peace Corps is sorting questions and we have been told they will pay attention to questions where they have noticed a theme. This is your chance to ask what you would like to ask of the Acting Peace Corps Director.


From Peace Corps:

Acting Peace Corps Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet (Western Samoa, 1981-83) will be hosting a Town Hall for RPCVs on April 2, 2013, from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. EDT.  She will discuss and answer questions about important topics identified by RPCVs around the country.  RPCVs should submit their topics and questions – along with their name, country and dates of service – in advance to thirdgoal@peacecorps.gov (please refer to “Town Hall Question” in the subject line) or tweet them at @PeaceCorps with the hashtag #PCtownhall.

RPCVs around the world are encouraged to join via our live-stream broadcast at the URL here: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/pc-town-hall-meeting

RPCVs in the Washington area are welcome to attend in person at Shriver Hall, Peace Corps Headquarters, 1111 20th Street NW, Washington, D.C., although seating is limited.  You can sign up to attend the event in person or request an email reminder of the live-stream event by registering to participate.

Hessler-Radelet will also be joined by new NPCA Director Glenn Blumhorst (Guatemala, 1988-91).  

We hope you will participate and join the conversation.

Regards,

Office of Third Goal and Returned Volunteer Services

Survey for Survivors on Sexual Assault in Peace Corps

Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Nicholas Hack is a Doctorate of Psychology student at The Wright Institute. His research is focused on sexual assault in Peace Corps. He is seeking to collect information through an online survey from survivors about their experience in Peace Corps to help contextualize the issue. NO questions will be asked about the assault itself to minimize any triggering.

Here is Nick's introduction of the survey:

In 2005, I served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Zambia. During my service I both saw and heard about a number of traumatic events taking place. As a current Doctorate of Psychology student I’m studying the topic of trauma in the Peace Corps to bring these experiences to light.

In this study I hope to begin addressing the gap in the research about the experiences of female Peace Corps Volunteers who experienced sexual assault during their service. While it is clear that male Volunteers are also victims of sexual assault, I'm currently limiting the study to females given the greater prevalence of assaults among female Volunteers. Please note that no questions will be asked about the assault itself.

Your participation in this study can help future survivors of assault. Having additional data that is not normally collected may help contextualize the issue of sexual assault in the Peace Corps, challenging misconceptions and confronting myths. Your participation will help highlight what services and supports are most helpful, what may be missing, and many of the challenges involved in moving forward after the assault. Questions, comments, and concerns may be addressed with me directly at: nhack@wi.edu.

Take the survey here. Thank you for your advocacy and support of survivors in Peace Corps!

First Response Action

New Year, New Peace Corps?

Happy New Year from First Response Action!

Several reports have been issued about Peace Corps' implementation thus far of the Kate Puzey Peace Corps Volunteer Protection Act of 2011.

The GAO (Government Accountability Office) was tasked to produce a report about Peace Corps' compliance with providing medical support to Volunteers. The report, Labor and Peace Corps Need Joint Approach to Monitor Access to and Quality of Health Care Benefits, can be found here.

The outside expert panel created by the Kate Puzey Act, the Sexual Assault Advisory Council, issued their own report which can be found here. The council is comprised of professionals in the field of sexual violence in both governmental and non-governmental agencies as well as Returned Volunteers.

Peace Corps has issued a document outlining their implementation of the Kate Puzey Act so far. Interim Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet said, "I am proud that the Peace Corps has instituted significant measures to reduce the risks of violence against volunteers and help ensure our volunteers receive the best possible training and support.”

First Response Action has poured over the various reports and we are working on our report synthesizing the improvements. We hope to have it ready soon for publishing. Keep your eyes on the blog for updates.

In the meantime, what do YOU think? What have you read? Have you spoken with volunteers who are currently-serving? Are YOU a volunteer who is currently-serving? How does the sexual assault training prepare you for service? How are in-country staff responding to survivors? Please email firstresponseaction@gmail.com or reply on this blog with your responses.

It's a new year and quite possibly the beginning of a new Peace Corps.

Marking the First Anniversary of the Kate Puzey Peace Corps Volunteer Protection Act

Today marks the first anniversary of the passage the Kate Puzey Peace Corps Volunteer Protection Act, or “Kate’s Law” as it is lovingly referred to by friends, family and supporters. We pause on this important day to honor Kate and thousands of survivors.  First Response Action is grateful to so many—President Obama, members of Congress and the Senate, former Peace Corps volunteers, and numerous advocacy groups—for their support and tireless efforts.  But the promise of the Kate Puzey Act is not yet a reality for every Peace Corps Volunteer—more work remains to be done.

In the next few weeks, we will issue a report assessing the Peace Corps’ implementation of the Kate Puzey Act so far and identifying areas where more work and resources must be invested. The Kate Puzey Act is at its core a commitment by our nation to give our volunteers the care, support, and protection they deserve. 

Our deep appreciation goes to you and everyone who has made an impact on making survivors in Peace Corps feel supported and get the care they need.  The Kate Puzey Act was the result of the hardwork of many passionate, dedicated individuals coming together to create and codify positive change.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted while serving as a Peace Corps volunteer and wish to share your experiences with us or need help obtaining assistance from the Peace Corps, please email firstresponseaction@gmail.com.

With gratitude, 
The Board of First Response Action

First Response Action Board Member Kate Finn's Reflection on First Anniversary

President Obama signs the Kate Puzey Peace Corps Volunteer Protection Act on November 21, 2011 while Peace Corps and supporters of the bill look on
 

Left of President Obama: Peace Corps staff Paul Weinberger and Carrie Hessler-Radelet, Senator Johnny Isakson R-GA, First Response Action board member and Legislative Liaison Kate Finn, Peace Corps Director Williams, RPCV survivor Carol Clark who testified at the May 2011 Congressional hearing

Right of President Obama: David Puzey (Kate Puzey's brother), Mr. and Mrs. Puzey (Kate's parents), Rep. Ted Poe R-TX, RPCV and survivor Karestan Koenen, Ph.D. who testified at the May 2011 Congressional hearing

First Response Action board member Kate Finn was integral in the process of developing legislation.  Her experience as a survivor of sexual violence in Peace Corps and in her position at the Denver District Attorney's office were instrumental in advocating for survivor's rights.  Kate was present for the signing and below gives her reflections on the year anniversary.

Looking back on the last year, since the passage of the Kate Puzey Peace Corps Volunteer Protection Act, I am still in awe at the feat that we were able to accomplish. We – First Response Action, Kate Puzey’s family, congressional supporters, RPCVs, and so many allies – came together to create protections for Peace Corps volunteers who are survivors of sexual violence, victims of crime and whistleblowers.

            For me, the experience as a member of First Response Action was incredibly liberating. I felt isolated and very alone in my experience as a survivor, believing that I was a unique case that had “fallen through the cracks. “ When I learned that my story was one of dozens of Peace Corps volunteers who were victims of sexual violence I was moved to find the depth and breadth of this quiet narrative. First Response Action gathered so many survivor stories and we were able to leverage them into a powerful narrative to create change through the Kate Puzey Act. However, I truly believe that one of the most important results of this movement has been that so many people have been able to share their story out-loud. This narrative is real and it is powerful.

             Through the Kate Puzey Act the Peace Corps has, and will continue, to assist victims and survivors to receive what they need to heal. I am honored to have been part of this movement in order to create space for Peace Corps volunteers to heal and begin to re-build their own story in the aftermath of sexual violence. Last year I watched as President Obama signed the Kate Puzey Act into law. It was one of the most honoring and amazing days of my life. I know that implementation of any law is difficult, however I know that this year, and in years to come, the impact of providing confidentiality and safety for volunteers will positively affect countless volunteers.

Thank you to everyone who told his or her story. The Kate Puzey Act exists because of your courage and tenacity. I can’t wait to see what the next year brings.

~ Kate Finn, First Response Action board member