House panel approves bill to boost safety for Peace Corps volunteers after rapes, murder

By Associated Press, Published: September 21

WASHINGTON — A House panel has approved legislation to improve safety and security for Peace Corps volunteers after criticism that the agency did little to train its workers to deal with violent attacks such as rape and murder.

By voice vote Wednesday, the House Foreign Affairs Committee pushed ahead two bills that would establish a process for volunteers to make confidential reports of rape or sexual assault, set up training for staff on how to respond and create a Victim Support Office.

In May, three Peace Corps volunteers raped while serving overseas and the mother of a fourth who was murdered in Benin complained to lawmakers. They said the agency failed to train its workers about how to avoid or deal with violent attacks. They also said it was insensitive or unhelpful.

Happy 50th Anniversary Peace Corps

To commemorate the Peace Corps' 50th Anniversary, First Response Action would like to acknowledge the thousands of Volunteers who have served across the globe in a variety of goodwill capacities. Peace Corps Volunteers play key roles in educating their communities about Americans and educating Americans about cultures around the world.

First Response Action is proud to support Peace Corps Volunteers who are victims of crime and the whistle blowers who report crime. We look forward to the next 50 years of a safer, stronger Peace Corps.

Happy Anniversary Peace Corps!

The Board of First Response Action

Legislation Passed Through the House Foreign Affairs Committee Today!

Another milestone has been reached and successfully passed!

Today, the House Foreign Affairs Committee passed the Kate Puzey Volunteer Protection Act of 2011. Prior to the August recess, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed the bill as well, so this important legislation is on the right track! Thanks to those of you who have supported this bill's passage by spreading the word and contacting your representatives.

We'll update this blog with next steps of the legislation. In the meantime, your support is still needed to call your representatives. While the bill has passed the relevant foreign affairs committees, they will still need to pass the larger House and Senate. Visit our partner site, Kate's Voice, to get comprehensive information on contacting your representatives.

Casey and the board of First Response Action

Progress of the Kate Puzey Volunteer Protection Act of 2011

This Wednesday, the House Foreign Affairs Committee will conduct a 'mark-up' of House Bill 2337, the Kate Puzey Volunteer Protection Act of 2011. You can help support this bill by contacting your local representatives or representatives on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Contact Information: Visit the website of our partner, Kate's Voice, for information on whom to contact, Most important people to contact

What to say:

• Sample email
• Sample phone call

Your support of the Kate Puzey Volunteer Protection Act of 2011 will help ensure that Peace Corps Volunteers who become victims of crime will receive vital services and have rights which are currently not guaranteed for survivors!

If you have questions or would like to share your opinion or story, please contact firstresponseaction@gmail.com

Peace,
Casey

The Washington Post: Crimes against volunteers vex Peace Corps

By Lisa Rein, published August 20, 2011

A Peace Corps volunteer had been raped in Bolivia and wanted justice. Within hours, Julie De Mello was on an airplane from Washington to meet the victim.

De Mello, employed by the Peace Corps inspector general as a senior federal agent investigating crimes against volunteers, worked with the 23-year-old victim, Erin Bingham, to sketch the attacker. De Mello went with Bingham to a police lineup, hired a lawyer to represent her and worked with local police to track down witnesses.

In May, three Peace Corps volunteers who were raped while serving overseas spoke of their experiences to lawmakers, expressing disappointment with the way they were treated.

De Mello believes her advocacy helped convict the rapist in 2008. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Today, a Peace Corps volunteer who is the victim of a violent crime is likely to get a far less aggressive U.S. government response. De Mello quit three years ago, after the agency grounded her and the four other investigators who routinely traveled abroad to help local police investigate.

The Peace Corps in 2008 moved the responsibility for working with local police from the inspector general’s office to its own in-country security staffers, most of whom have little or no law enforcement training but who are already on the scene in the host countries. After the change, the rate of prosecutions in sex crimes involving volunteers dropped slightly, records show.

New system is defended

Peace Corps officials say the system is working, and spokeswoman Allison Price said it is difficult to draw conclusions from incomplete statistics kept by the agency. She said the decision to move crime response to local security staffs “was made to ensure a proper alignment of functions,” but she declined to elaborate.

“We take the security of all volunteers seriously,” said Edward Hobson, chief of the Peace Corps’ Office of Safety and Security and a former forensic investigator in Orlando. “If a volunteer chooses to pursue legal options after a crime, we stand beside them every step of the way.”

Victims and critics say the change was among many missteps the Peace Corps has made in protecting its 8,655 volunteers and trainees. The humanitarian organization, which this year celebrates its 50th anniversary, has come under fire in recent months for its handling of sexual assaults and the death of a volunteer in West Africa. The young woman, Kate Puzey, was killed days after she told Peace Corps staff that a fellow teacher was molesting students.

In May, Peace Corps Director Aaron S. Williams acknowledged problems and promised changes at a congressional hearing, where lawmakers and crime victims complained that the Peace Corps suffers from a “blame-the-victim” culture.

Rep. Ted Poe (R-Tex.), chief House sponsor of a bill that would force the Peace Corps to give sexual assault victims more support, said in an interview that he did not know the Peace Corps had shifted responsibility for crime investigations to in-country security personnel.

“It would seem to me that in criminal cases, you need trained officers responding rather than people who have other duties,” he said.

Peace Corps staff members operate in each of the 77 developing countries where volunteers are posted. They function separately from the U.S. embassies and include security officers who handle many duties. Often, they have no law enforcement background.

Continued here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/crimes-against-volunteers-vex-peace-corps/2011/08/04/gIQALCuaSJ_story.html

National Peace Corps Association is Supportive of Legislation

The National Peace Corps Association (NPCA) has posted background and information for the Kate Puzey Peace Corps Volunteer Protection Act on their website. This includes their recent action of sending a letter, dated June 29, to House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and raking member Howard Berman expressing their support for this legislation to support Volunteers. The NPCA offers resources on their site for those who want to contact their local representatives, such as a form letter and links to finding one's local representative's contact information in the House and Senate.


First Response Action is grateful for the NPCA's support since the inception of First Response Action in 2009. Together, the RPCV community can help affect positive change for current and future Volunteers who become victims of sexual or physical assault or report crime.


If you're a Returned Volunteer but not a member of the NPCA and would like to, you can visit this link to join now.

Survivor Support Legislation Needs YOUR Help

For those of you who are passionate about the issue of increased support for Peace Corps Volunteers, your help is needed to make phone calls or meet with your local representatives.

In late June, Congressman Poe (R-TX) and Senator Isakson (R-GA) introduced legislation to Congress and the Senate titled The Kate Puzey Peace Corps Safety and Security Act. This legislation is intended to improve Peace Corps Safety and Security training and Peace Corps’ response to violent crimes.

This is much-needed legislation that would support Volunteers as a long-term solution. Peace Corps has made strides in their approach to issues of sexual and physical assault over the last year, but with the Peace Corps 5-year staff rule, where staff can only serve 5 years, there is need for a sustainable solution to ensure Volunteer victim support. Many other government agencies have similar provisions to support victims of violence.

You can read the text of the House bill here and the text of the Senate bill here. You can visit the bill information by clicking on the following links to view the up-to-date co-sponsors of the bills for the House and Senate.

This is ground-breaking legislation for Peace Corps and would ensure victim and family support. Would you be willing to make a phone call or write an email (or letter) to express your support to your local representatives?

Find your Senator here:

Find your Member of Congress here:

Need help writing a letter? You can use the template letter on our website here.

Need help on what to say? Visit KatesVoice.net's Guide for Contacting Representatives here.

Support is needed from ALL members of the House and Senate and in particular, the members of the House and Senate Foreign Affairs Committees. Here are those remaining members who haven't signed on to co-sponsor yet. If you're in their district, please give them a call!

House Foreign Affairs Committee - Republicans

Chris Smith - New Jersey - (mark.kearney@mail.house.gov)

Donald Manzullo - Illinois -(nien.su@mail.house.gov)

Edward Royce - California - (worku.gachou@mail.house.gov)

Steve Chabot - Ohio - (kevin.fitzpatrick@mail.house.gov) - signed on 7/8/11!

Mike Pence - Indiana - (ryan.jarmula@mail.house.gov)

Connie Mack - Florida - (kristin.jackson@mail.house.gov)

Chairwoman of State/Foreign Operations Subcommittee on the Appropriations Committee (with jurisdiction over PC budget): Kay Granger - Texas - (aaron.ranck@mail.house.gov)

Joe Pitts - Pennsylvania - (ben.stoltzfoos@mail.house.gov)

House Foreign Affairs Committee - Democrats

Gary Ackerman - New York - (howard.diamond@mail.house.gov)

Donald Payne - New Jersey - (algene.sajery@mail.house.gov) - signed on 7/6/11!

Brad Sherman - California - (siamak.kordestani@mail.house.gov)

Eliot Engel - New York - (jason.steinbaum@mail.house.gov)

Gregory Meeks - New York - (sophia.lafargue@mail.house.gov)

Russ Carnahan - Missouri - (rachel.hines@mail.house.gov)

Senate Foreign Relations Committee

Chairman John Kerry - Massachusetts - (202) 224-2742

Ranking Member Dick Lugar - Indiana - (202) 224-4814 (ask for Carl Meacham)

Majority Members

Robert Menendez - New Jersey - 202.224.4744

Benjamin L. Cardin - Maryland - (202) 224-4524 - signed on 7/14/11!

Robert P. Casey Jr - Pennsylvania - (202) 224-6324

Jim Webb - Virginia - (202) 224-4024

Jeanne Shaheen - New Hampshire - (202) 224-2841

Tom Udall - New Mexico - (202) 224-6621

Minority Members

Bob Corker - Tennessee - 202-228-0566

James E. Risch - Idaho - 202-224-2752

Marco Rubio - Florida - 202-224-3041 - signed on 7/14/11!

James M. Inhofe - Oklahoma - (202) 224-4721

Jim DeMint - South Carolina - 202-224-6121

John Barrasso - Wyoming - 202-224-6441 - signed on 7/11/11!

Mike Lee - Utah - 202-224-5444

News about the bill and the issue of sexual and physical violence against Peace Corps Volunteers:

• Washington Post Blog by Lisa Rein
• Miami Herald article by Halima Abdullah
• NYTimes article by Sheryl Gay Stolburg
• Dayton Daily article written by Russel Carollo and Hariet Jaspin in 2003: