I won't lie to you, I typically stay away from articles such as these while serving, they scare me. However, I frequently receive them from concerned friends and family and make my way through them if only so I can decide what my thoughts are. (People are curious, I think they read an article and think, "Oh! I know someone in the Peace Corps, I wonder what she thinks." Thus link is inserted and send is selected.)
In reading the article, there were some things which stuck out to me. First, was Mr. Aaron Williams, Peace Corps Director's statement "We do not place Peace Corps volunteers in unsafe environments." I think that is a ridiculous statement to make. I mean, there's just no way Peace Corps can guarantee that. You cannot guarantee that the Peace Corps Volunteers, who serve in 77 countries worldwide, aren't going to encounter safety issues. I should like to think they wouldn't knowingly do so, but certainly that cannot be assured. I don't hold Peace Corps accountable for my safety on a local level, that is on me and the relationships I've developed here. I hold Peace Corps accountable for evacuating me should there be a national crises in which I need to leave the country or if I need assistance of some kind which I can't get locally, but mostly I live my life in my community like I would in the U.S. (with some major changes, obviously) but my point is the majority of my safety is up to me, not to Peace Corps.
The article states "in the years 2000-2009, 22 Peace Corps women each year report being the victims of rape or attempted rape." One woman being raped is far too many, in my opinion, but I wanted to gain some perspective for my own piece of mind. So I did some research.
In Peace Corps there are currently 8,655 volunteers serving; 60% women and 40% men. 60% of 8,655 is 5,193 women, 22 women of 5,193 is 0.424%. Even if we incorporate the number of women who don't report, let's double it to 44 women of 5,193 and our number becomes 0.85%. As a whole, these numbers offer me some reassurance.
However, what this article points out is how poorly victims are being treated (or not treated) by the very people who should be the most influential in the rehabilitation of the victims and retribution of their assailants. The idea that Peace Corps D.C. is treating victims as though they are to blame for such incidences is preposterous and completely unacceptable.
I cannot imagine being raped. I don't want to, but added to the horrendous nature of such a crime, having something like that happen to me in a country where the laws don't (always) protect women from these types of assaults just seems so much worse. To my understanding, we are, as PCVs, limited to the laws of the country we're serving in. If those laws don't protect women against rape and sexual assaults the perpetrator often goes unpunished. Women serving in the U.S. military deal with the same problem while on active duty abroad. What that leaves as an option for the victims is rehabilitation and Peace Corps D.C. is falling short. That should be Mr. Williams top concern and primary concentration.
Peace Corps in my service country has been incredibly responsive to any type of security issues I've had. Our Security Officer is extremely supportive and encourages people to call him anytime they feel unsafe (as my previous entries have reported, I have used that number). He has made contact with the local authorities on my behalf when I had the incident at my apartment. I have had several harassment problems here and our Country Director called and talked with me for a while after having communicated with our Safety Officer. Communication between these two is pretty essential, and here it is happening. However, each Peace Corps country is unique and each staff interacts differently.
Overall, I am happy to be serving in the Peace Corps. I think it has enriched my life in so many ways. The students and families I work with are incredible and, by far, my life is enriched far more than it is hindered (that's not to say it's not challenging, but I knew it would be when I signed up).
My thanks to each of the women who have been brave enough to share their story.
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