America’s Peace Corps volunteers are our angels abroad. They make unimaginable sacrifices, giving up years of their life to help people they have never meet. As they journey out into the far reaches of the world, they are driven by a selfless commitment to a greater good, even if this requires some risk. In return, the Peace Corps should have their back if they are harmed. Tragically, this is not always the case.
Consider the case of volunteer Jennifer Mamola who, along with more than 230,000 Americans since the Peace Corps’ inception 57 years ago, answered the call to serve her country and help bring hope to some of the most desolate corners of our planet. Early one morning, as Jennifer walked with two other volunteers to a bus stop in rural Uganda, a drunken driver rammed into them. One volunteer was killed while Jennifer had both her legs broken and her life forever changed.
The Peace Corps provided Jennifer immediate medical care in Uganda as she began an uphill battle to recovery. But upon her return to the U.S., still bedridden and loaded on pain medication, she was left to navigate the bureaucracy of the Department of Labor with little help from the Peace Corps. After months of fighting the system, she was finally approved for disability only to continuously have her case reopened as she struggled to get each of her necessary surgeries and physical therapy approved. Still traumatized by her experience in Uganda, she reached out for mental health treatment, only to be ignored.
Unfortunately, I have heard too many stories like Jennifer’s. Volunteers eager to make a difference in the world return home to be abandoned by an organization they once held in such high esteem. Others describe a battle to receive quality medical care and protection they deserve even while at their post countries.
A brave volunteer recently opened up to me about the daily sexual assault and harassment she experienced while serving overseas. She recounted how men would grope and threaten her every day as she walked home from school. One afternoon at the market, while trying to pay for her food, the cashier threatened to break into her house in the middle of the night, come into her bed, and rape her.
When she reported this to the Peace Corps, she was assured that the men were “simply joking.” The harassment continued for months and months. Finally, she could no longer physically or mentally handle the abuse and made the brave decision to return home. The Peace Corps, however, refused to award her a certificate of service or the letter of recognition signed by the president she had earned. Instead, they recorded her reason for leaving the Peace Corps as “difficulty in adapting to culture.”
Sexual assault and harassment should never be excused as a cultural norm nor should a volunteer ever be blamed or punished for refusing to accept such abuse. The Peace Corps has fostered this belief for too long. Between 2010 and 2014, there were more than 900 reported cases of sexual assault and rape by Peace Corps volunteers, while many more likely went unreported. As a former judge, I can tell you that it is our duty to protect volunteers from these heinous crimes, especially when we send them off to dangerous corners of the world where local governments lack the ability to protect them.
It is because of stories like these that I introduced H.R. 2259, the Sam Farr and Nick Castle Peace Corps Reform Act, with my colleague Joseph Kennedy III. Our bill will ensure that Peace Corps volunteers abroad have better protections against sexual assault and harassment and have access to qualified medical doctors. When they return home with debilitating injuries or illnesses, our bill will ensure that they have the immediate medical coverage they require so that they are not caught in the lurch. Anything less than this is simply unacceptable for any American citizen, let alone for those who sacrifice so much to make a positive difference in the world and spread goodwill in our country’s name.
Peace Corps volunteers are the face of our country in areas of the globe where America’s shining beacon of hope and liberty may not always shine so bright. They have become our goodwill ambassadors abroad, promoting a better understanding of the United States and securing enduring partnerships for our nation in the countries that they serve.
Their service to this country should not turn into a lasting nightmare that interrupts, or even ends, their lives. Our angels abroad deserve better, and it is time to take action.
And that’s just the way it is.
