"All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence." -- Martin Luther King, Jr.
I am shocked and angered by the recent ABC "news" 20/20 stories about the Peace Corps. If you haven't seen or heard about them, click here.
There were two stories: one about the unfortunate killing of PCV Kate Puzey in Benin and another about ~1,000 young women who claim they were sexually abused while in the Peace Corps. The story alleges that the PC had something to do with covering up these horrible circumstances. Newsflash ABC: Rather than doing a story about the 200,000+ success stories of the past 50 years of the organization, you chose to focus on 0.5% of volunteers who unfortunately met with hardship during their service. I don't understand this choice. The Peace Corps is a government program, admittedly involving some level of bureaucracy... but who would dispute that: (a) it's a program trying it's best to help the world, and (b) it does its best to act in the best interest of its volunteers.
Let me be clear: sexual violence of any kind is unacceptable. However, in the wake of my recent reserach, I also find it highly ironic that 20/20 would focus on the plight of these American women, ignoring the millions of African women affected by sexual violence every day. I recently read something that gave me chills: "It is estimated that a woman born in South Africa has a greater chance of being raped than learning how to read."
I have also learned recently of Stephen Lewis. I watched a DVD called The Value of Life which follows Lewis' journey through Africa in his capacity as the UN Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa under Kofi Anan from 2001-2003. The stories are devastating and heartbreaking. His fight is inspiring, frustrating, and tremendous. His fight for the accessibility of ARV (antiretroviral drugs) to prolong the lives of Africans was slow and full of hiccups. Especially frustrating is the fact that many countries promised financial support to Africa in early 2001, but after the "war on terror" began, suddenly money for HIV/AIDS in Africa was no longer a priority. Incidentally, did you know that the entire Peace Corps annual budget, $295 million, is equivalent to the cost of ONE B-2 bomber plane? Where oh where have our morals and priorities gone?
Stephen Lewis is no longer working under the umbrella of eh UN, but he has started a foundation and is doing amazing things. Especially inspiring is his support of grandmothers in Africa, many of whom are forced to raise their grandchildren after both parents perish from "the disease." Heartbreaking. There are an estimated 16 million orphans in Africa today. I can't even fathom that number.
I am trying to make some sense of all this and I can't. It seems that the more I learn and the more I read, the more I feel like a Peace Corps volunteer. And that makes me prouder than I can say.
I definitely hear you on the numbers here, and the fact that sexual violence is pervasive and shouldn't be considered more shocking or devastating when it happens to someone from the developed world. I think the issue is the amount of victim-blaming and lack of support that these volunteers experienced, in an organization which works so heavily with women's development. Not just from this report, but I've read on other volunteer blogs that some women have ET'd due to feeling unsafe and harassed at their posts, and the response they got from PC was essentially "deal with it, or ET". Hopefully as a whole, the organization will do more to make sure that volunteers are safe no matter what their sex.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kate. The lack of support provided for these women was horrible. Though I don't necessarily understand why it is that you point out the abuse that African woman endure (though I agree it happens everyday, with no support system whatsoever)we are talking about the woman who have served in the Peace Corps, have gone through this tragedy and have not received any support when there is an organization as prestigious as the PC, an organization that supports women's health and empowerment. Basically, It has got to get better.
ReplyDelete@Miss M-- The reason I bring it up is because they 20/20 story made no mention of it whatsoever. I am definitely NOT trying to make light of the fact that this sexual violence against the PCV's occurred or that the PC hasn't effectively dealt with the situation. To me, this is a sign of the larger pandemic and the idea that American lives are somehow more valuable than African lives. Yes, the assaulted PCV's have suffered trauma, but at least when they return to the USA they have support systems to help them. You yourself admit that such systems rarely (if ever) have such access.
ReplyDeleteI just don't understand this mind-set is all.
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