ABC News: Congress to Investigate Peace Corps Treatment of Sex Assault Victims

In an ABCnews.com story today, ABC News reports about an anticipated Congressional investigation into Peace Corps' management of incidences of sexual violence.

The story was spurred by a speech given by Congressman Poe to the House floor on Monday 1/24. Congressmen Ted Poe, R-Texas, and Jim Costa, D-CA, head the Victims' Rights Caucus and are supporters of First Response Action. Jointly, they sent a letter of support to Peace Corps in favor of FRA's mission to improve training on sexual assault and response to survivors of sexual violence.

Peace Corps' Response to ABC News 20/20 Piece

On January 11, Peace Corps wrote a statement to ABC News prior to the airing of the Jan. 14 20/20 episode about sexual assault and rape in Peace Corps saying:

"...your story covers the concerns of Peace Corps volunteers who have been raped or sexually assaulted while serving abroad. When anything happens to one of our volunteers, we do our best to offer comprehensive support through medical, counseling, and legal services. We are unwavering in our efforts to strengthen our approach to volunteer safety and security."

While that is the ideal situation that all Volunteer receive the same high level of comprehensive care, First Response Action has received numerous Volunteer reports that contradict this. We recognize that the in-country staff at the time of an incident plays a huge part in how a Volunteer situation will be managed. It is understandable that Peace Corps headquarters cannot directly manage every rape or sexual assault from D.C. This is why First Response Action advocates for in-country staff and Volunteer training in industry best practices to manage incidents of sexual assault and rape. This is also a challenging statement to read since specialized trauma counseling services were disbanded more than six years ago and there are a handful of counselors to work with hundreds of Volunteer survivors each year.

Peace Corps also stated that:

"Since August 2009, when Aaron Williams became Director of the Peace Corps, the agency has put into place measures to improve our security and support operations. The Peace Corps has developed an enhanced agencywide sexual assault prevention and response strategy. This plan is designed to expand the depth and breadth of the agency’s ability and commitment to prevent and respond to sexual assaults. Accordingly, we have undertaken a comprehensive study of best practices in the field of sexual assault prevention, met with leaders in the field of rape prevention and response, written new guidelines for responding to rapes and major sexual assaults for use by overseas staff, developed a statement of Peace Corps’ commitment to victims of sexual assault, and updated the agency’s incident reporting system."

It is important to note that many people have praised current Peace Corps Director Aaron Williams for dedicating more time to issues of sexual assault and rape. Several of the items listed in the above quote are also on First Response Action's Seven Point Plan. It is also important to note that no formal policy has existed since 2004, as a Peace Corps official told First Response Action in December 2010, and that this stated strategy has yet to be implemented worldwide. Peace Corps told First Response Action members that within the last six months they have begun to meet with industry leaders in sexual assault. It has yet to come to light what will be garnered from those meetings.

Following the Jan. 14 airing of the 20/20 special, Peace Corps responded to in a release on January 14 from Director Williams saying:

"ABC's program is deeply troubling and does not accurately reflect Peace Corps' unwavering commitment to our volunteers. The health and safety of our volunteers is the single most important priority for our agency. We are consistently reviewing and improving our global operations to ensure that we are doing our best to keep our volunteers healthy, safe and productive.

Under my leadership, the Peace Corps has been implementing reforms to enhance the quality of Peace Corps service. These reforms include strengthening all health and safety measures. We do everything we can to keep our volunteers safe, and for those who sadly fall victim to crime, we do everything we can to support them in their recovery. The women interviewed by 20/20 are courageous and strong. Their stories are heartbreaking. Since their service, Peace Corps has improved sexual assault prevention procedures and practices, and we will continue to be responsive to the victims of assault and provide comprehensive care.

We will never be able to eliminate volunteers' exposure to crimes overseas, but we will work continuously to maximize the safety and health systems supporting our volunteers. This is my pledge to Americans serving today and to the volunteers of tomorrow."

For those Volunteers who received appropriate responses post-incident, we are thrilled. That should happen every time. First Response Action advocates that all Volunteers receive the same level of care and treatment. Not all Volunteers are med-evac'd to D.C. for treatment. Not all Volunteers' first responders are competent professionals. There is a disconnect between what happens in-country and what happens in Washington, D.C. Our goal is that each and every Volunteer, regardless of the country, staff or incident, will receive the proper medical care, counseling, legal advice and anything else they need. We do not diminish those incidents that were managed properly - we would like to point them out as examples.

It is important that Director Williams has taken the issue of rape and sexual assault so seriously during his leadership. This is to be applauded. Even long-term Peace Corps staff have told us that this director over others has truly dedicated time and effort to this issue. We will be watching to see what is implemented, how it works and how that is managed. We are incredibly grateful to Director Williams that he has taken such a proactive role.

First Response Action wants to hear from Returned or current Volunteers about your experiences whether they were positive or negative. Your stories help us build the case that all Volunteers need to be treated equally. You can email firstresponseaction@gmail.com with your comments or story.

Peace.

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

Peace Corps Meeting 12/9/10

This Thursday 12/9/10, members of the First Response Action Coalition are meeting with Peace Corps staff in D.C. to discuss improvement efforts to sexual assault and rape response protocol and support. Pertinent details and outcomes of the meeting will be posted following the meeting.

Thank you for your support - together we can help make change to better support current and future Volunteers!

Peace,
Casey

The Damages of Victim Blaming

Within circles of professionals who work with issues of sexual assault, domestic violence, rape and physical assault, the term "victim blaming" is quite common. Victim blaming is when a victim of assault or violence is blamed for being the one responsible for bringing on the attack.

According to the World Health Organization, "Negative social reactions to rape (ex. victim blaming) are linked to higher instances of PTSD." Research has also shown that "Of all human experience of trauma, sexual trauma is second in severity only to those who have experiences active combat."*

Negative reactions are incredibly damaging to survivors and First Response Action Coalition member Meg Long goes into more detail about the issue of victim blaming.

Imagine you are walking across the street to get something from the corner store and a car hits you. Runs right into you and knocks you across both lanes. Dazed, shocked, and in pain, you stumble to a passing pedestrian and ask for help. The pedestrian looks at you and starts asking why you were walking across the street. "Didn’t you know the street is for cars? Your clothes are dark colors, how did you expect the drivers to see you with such dark clothes? It’s late to be walking to the store; do you always go to the store so late?"

How many pedestrians who are hit by cars receive this type of reaction from those they tell their story to? Not many. Why? Because as a society we generally do not blame people who have bad things happen to them. Except when someone is sexually assaulted. We ask if they had been drinking, what they were wearing, what part of town they were in, did they know the people they were with, were they out very late. Why do people ask these questions? In order to make sense of the situation. They want to know that it wouldn’t happen to them because they wouldn’t dress that way, or drink that much, or hang out with those types of people. The fact is sexual assault doesn’t make sense to the average person. It shouldn’t make sense to the average person because the average person would not force himself or herself on someone else.

"There have been many cases where the reaction a survivor receives after the assault is reported to be more traumatizing than the assault itself. Victims who report and receive disastrous response (disbelief, lack of protection or support) have more long term negative trauma than those who never tell." (Hindman 1990 & 1999)

After being physically assaulted the survivor then has to succumb to verbal assault by those who decide to continue hurting the victim instead of helping him or her heal. Only 4% of sexual assault reported by adult women resulted in the conviction of their offenders. (Tjaden & Thonnes, 2006) The illogical and inconsistent manner in which sexual assault survivors are blamed for the crime committed against them is discussed in the following article by Amanda Hess posted on washingtoncitypaper.com. No other crime is looked at in such a way. Sexual assault is the only crime where a victim needs to prove his or her innocence.

The first step in reversing this practice and supporting those who are sexually assaulted is to acknowledge that victim blaming is occurring. Victim impact is substantially reduced when victims are believed, protected and adequately supported. Disagree with those who are questioning the victim’s integrity and innocence. By supporting the victim and not tolerating any further assault on the survivor we can then begin to build positive and supportive communities. At any website that addresses the issue of sexual assault you will undoubtedly see the sentence: ‘It is never the victims fault.’ This sentence is common for two reasons: 1. It is never the victim’s fault. 2. Despite the fact that it is never the victim’s fault, we, as a society tend to blame the victim.

We need to move forward to the action/behavioral phase and start responding in a way that shows survivors of sexual assault that is never their fault.

Meg Long

Kenya 2003-2005

For those who know someone who has survived physical and sexual assault, it is important to meet them where they're at - listen, acknowledge and offer support. For survivors of physical and sexual assault, it is important to know that it is not your fault. Self-blame plagues many survivors and it is more damaging for recovery.



*Quote cited from Wilson, Smith & Johnson in Figley, 1985

Best Practices for Peace Corps Reform of Physical and Sexual Assault

It is critically important to be aware of best practices in the field when undergoing systemic change. In a new feature, News from the Field, First Response Action Coalition member Kate Finn discusses sustainability and best practices from government resources that Peace Corps could use as models when revamping their physical and sexual assault protocols.

Peace Corps Pre-Service Training (PST) is one of the most intense learning environments that Volunteers will experience during their time of service. Volunteers learn Peace Corps policies and protocols, how to live and work in a new culture and how to implement relevant community development projects. There are two themes emphasized during this period: cultural integration and sustainability. Sustainability is loosely defined as the process of garnering community support to start a project and building further support so the project lives on after the Volunteer has completed their service. Sustainability is a lofty but important goal and, if achieved, will result in demonstrable positive change for the people in that community.

As a PCV in Costa Rica, the concept of sustainability was never far from my consciousness. At the risk of sounding glib, if not slightly heretical, I will share what became my Volunteer group’s unofficial motto during our time of service: “If you’re working hard, you’re not doing your job!” This motto was a constant reminder (a) to keep humor on our side and (b) that our energy was much better spent building on our community’s successes rather than re-inventing the wheel.

First Response Action (FRA) is asking the Peace Corps to do the same. As a coalition, FRA has identified organizations with specific expertise in the area of crime prevention while abroad, and response to U.S. citizens who become victims of violent crime while abroad. These organizations have already built prevention training curricula, identified critical topic areas, and developed salient protocols – so it seems natural to bring them into the discussion.

Here’s a piece of trivia for you - Peace Corps is an independent agency directly under Congress, not under the State Department. As such, Peace Corps has access to extensive resources built right into the Federal government. Here are a few examples of relevant government resources that we have found thus far.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

CDC has comprehensive resources that break out types and techniques of prevention, the way culture influences the dynamics and reporting of sexual assault, and ways to effectively implement a training program. CDC defines prevention in three steps:

· Primary Prevention: Approaches that take place before sexual violence has occurred to prevent initial perpetration or victimization.

· Secondary Prevention: Immediate responses after sexual violence has occurred to deal with the consequences of violence in the short-term.

· Tertiary Prevention: Long-term responses after sexual violence has occurred to deal with the lasting consequences of violence and sex offender treatment interventions.

CDC has a proven, comprehensive and survivor-centered approach to this issue. Peace Corps can only benefit from partnering with CDC to update their existing training program both for Volunteers and in-country staff.

FBI, State Department and U.S. Department of Justice

Response protocols and crafting survivor-centered policies: The FBI has a dedicated Victim Assistance Unit that would be a valuable resource to Peace Corps in the development of immediate response protocols to sexual and physical assault. The State Department and the U.S. Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime are other organizations that keep abreast of national research related to sexual assault and victimization that would aid the Peace Corps in developing trainings and responses that are relevant and workable in today’s international setting.

U.S. Military

SAPRO is the organization responsible for the oversight of Department of Defense (DoD) sexual assault policy. The Department of Defense is committed to the prevention of sexual assault, with the vision “To enable military readiness by establishing a culture free of sexual assault.” The Department has implemented a comprehensive policy to ensure the safety, dignity and well being of all members of the Armed Forces. Our men and women serving throughout the world deserve nothing less, and their leaders — both Military and civilian — are committed to maintaining a workplace environment that rejects sexual assault and reinforces a culture of prevention, response and accountability. Source. http://www.sapr.mil/index.php/about

FRA commends the U.S. Military for their extensive efforts to improve their response to sexual assault. We feel that their willingness to partner with experts on this issue demonstrates a strong commitment to improving sexual assault response services for military personnel. FRA recommends that Peace Corps consult with the DoD SAPRO and their partners to similarly strengthen and improve PC’s response. Within the military, these partnerships have led to the development of a training program for civilian victim advocates to better support service member victims of sexual assault and enhancing the national hotline with resources for military survivors. Innovate partnerships with individuals and agencies with expertise in sexual assault prevention are being utilized to shift the culture in the military to prevent sexual assault.

Over 50 years, Peace Corps has formally and informally gathered experience and knowledge on all aspects of the Volunteer experience. They have recorded crime since 1990. Bringing this knowledge together with another agency’s specific expertise on the area of response to violent crime will not only augment Peace Corps’ response to Volunteer survivors today but also establish a precedent for future consultation thereby ensuring sustainability. As national best practices change and grow, so too Peace Corps response would evolve to better serve those Volunteers who become victims of violent crime during their time of service.

As a member of the FRA Coalition, I respectfully submit that in order to produce comprehensive, survivor-centered training and policies, Peace Corps must consult with these and other non-governmental agencies. FRA is working to see that policies are created and implemented that reflect national best practices. This will ensure that Volunteers who are victimized during their time of service have access to resources through Peace Corps that facilitate healing and wholeness on their own terms.

Kate Finn, RPCV Costa Rica