Food For Thought: ABC’s 20/20 and the Peace Corps… Looking at All Sides of the Picture

This entire week leading up to the premier of ABC’s most recent episode of 20/20, which included quite the expose of the safety of women in the Peace Corps, I have been anticipating the reaction that would surface among my family members, friends, and the general public.

I am not surprised by what I am seeing on social media websites, in my email inbox, and on Peace Corps Journals in response to 20/20.  However, I would like to put my own two cents into the matter, as a current applicant who is in the final steps of her Peace Corps placement.

The subject matter of sexual assault, rape, and murder was truly gruesome and my heart goes out to the victims and their families of these heinous crimes. Sexual assault is unacceptable, period.  My thoughts are particularly disturbed by Kate Puzey’s story, a Peace Corps volunteer working in Benin, who was murdered for exposing a corrupt, sexual predator and co-worker.  Again, their stories are incredible and I admire their bravery for coming out publicly about their experiences.

Looking at some other sides of this quite shocking portrayal of Peace Corps, however, there are several points that 20/20 failed to address in their somewhat sensational portrayal of Peace Corps that I have been thinking about both before and after this aired last night on ABC.

The first are the numbers and statistics, which anyone can find quite easily, from the Peace Corps’ website and other websites pertaining to the PC.  Over 200,000 volunteers have served in Peace Corps in the 50 years it has existed within the U.S. government.  The large majority of those volunteers have not had a bad experience, nor have they encountered any incidents of sexual assault and/or rape.

20/20 presented the fact that over the past decade over 1,000 women have been subject to sexual assault or rape.  Looking at the large statistical figures, these numbers account for about .05 percent of the 200,000+ PC volunteers who have served or are currently serving.  In addition, there have been a total of 279 volunteers who have died during service overseas (From The Fallen Peace Corps Memorial Project).  Of those 279 volunteers who have died, 23 of them were murdered.  The PC publishes a report on safety statistics every few years and you can find much of the information in the most recent of these reports at Peace Corps Wiki’s Safety of the Volunteer Page, which also includes a breakdown of safety statistics by country. (A direct link to the report can be found here).

Secondly, many misunderstand that Peace Corps is not an independent organization, that it is, in fact, a part of the United States Government and thus, is subject to the same bureaucratic procedures of the Government.  I can only imagine the frustration of the Puzey family in dealing with this bureaucracy, but it is part of our culture.  We elect public officials, put our full confidence in them, and trust them to appoint other officials, because we deem them fit to make decisions for us.  If we knew everything that was going on in the world, there would no doubt be panic and chaos flooding our streets on a regular basis.

I am extremely sympathetic for the Puzey family for their loss and I do agree that PC could have been more transparent about their daughter’s death, certainly more compassionate, but again, we live in a country where the government is founded upon a bureaucratic structure and thus, we are subject to the constraints of that structure.  None of this makes Kate Puzey’s death any more or less devastating, but it is the reality in which we live in.

Lastly, I agree that every individual who applies to the Peace Corps should know that there are risks involved in service that one may not encounter typically, but are there not risks in every aspect of life?  There is always a very small chance that you can slip in the shower and crack your skull every time you step in, it a very small chance that someone you know could sexually assault you or rape you, a very small chance that you could be murdered by a complete stranger when walking to your car at night after work.

If we thought about these things constantly, we would live in a world of fear where the action of getting out of bed in the morning would be filled with worry for the day ahead.  No one can live their life like that, we would all die from a stress-induced heart attack if it were the case!

ABC’s 20/20 produced a somewhat sensationalist segment of their program that aired last night, however, in doing so, they have raised awareness for an issue that needs to be brought out into the open.  If anything, this will promote increased safety and awareness in the Peace Corps and increased cultural sensitivity of future and current volunteers.

Again, I admire the women interviewed last night for getting up and sharing their stories with women like me who hope to go into the Peace Corps.  They were brave in a way that I cannot even fathom and my heart goes out to each and every one of them for bringing attention to this issue.  Particularly to the Puzey family, you are brave for carrying on your daughter’s legacy and confronting the issue head on in a public arena.  I hope that one day you may reach peace with this terrible tragedy.

As for myself, I have known the risks involved in joining the PC from day one.  I also know the risks of going skiing, living in a city as a single woman, and eating too many french fries.  This episode of 20/20 does not dissuade me from serving in the PC.  If anything, it has made me realize, even more so than before, the importance of being culturally sensitive and taking the proper precautions to protect myself.  I plan on taking a self-defense class before I leave for the Peace Corps (hopefully… still waiting for that invitation!) and I hope that my friends and family will recognize my cognizance of these issues.  Cheers.

If you missed this episode of 20/20, you can watch it on ABC’s website or on Hulu.  For more information about the 20/20 Investigation, head to ABC’s blog.

Food for thought.

 

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