20/20 Special

There has been a lot of talk lately regarding the special 20/20 has recently aired discussing the Peace Corps and its safety. I was aware that it did not show Peace Corps in a positive light and I thought, “What poor timing to degrade Peace Corps right before they celebrate such a monumental anniversary, 50 years of service.” Though, whether their motive was to increase ratings while Peace Corps is in the news or whether they honestly wanted to make people aware of this serious issue, it's an important topic and one to think about. What I’m about to write in no way reflects the thoughts or opinions of the Peace Corps or the US government.

Update: I've been informed that the Kate that was murdered while serving in the Peace Corps was killed during March of 2009 - so the girl I had referred to in a paragraph that I have just deleted from this exact spot is someone else entirely. I apologize. I made an assumption and you know what they say about those. In the future I'll put a bit more effort into researching "facts" that I pluck from the back of my dusty brain. (Though I still find the death of the 20-something girl who died of "natural causes" while serving in the Peace Corps a bit suspicious.)

This isn’t the place to get too far into my thoughts and opinions regarding the safety and security of volunteers here in Bulgaria but I will say that if our safety is their number one priority than Peace Corps should not hesitate for a second to do what is right and necessary regardless of how it may reflect on their image or reputation. In fact, being open about their lack of tolerance for any form of harassment would be more reassuring then the hushing up of situations that are later heard through the grapevine…or aired on national television. If a female volunteer feels unsafe and has perfectly good reasons for wanting to be moved from her site or even just her current living situation, then it should happen. Period. Regardless of whether she came home a half-an-hour after dark or she had a beer at the local restaurant. She should not have to endure any behavior that makes her feel uncomfortable or unsafe in any way. I certainly wouldn’t.

I feel very opinionated on this subject because I’ve felt in the past that I wasn’t receiving the whole truth from Peace Corps. Not lies, necessarily, and nothing as important as major safety and security issues but I do wish that they were a bit more open with volunteers and the public. I was not at all surprised that they asked a woman who had been gang-raped to tell her fellow volunteers that she was going back to Washington to have her wisdom teeth pulled. The fact that I was not at all surprised is what worries me.

Despite what I’ve written, I have in no way ever felt unsafe here in Bulgaria. I think the staff are amazing people who are great at their jobs and each one of them believes in Peace Corps and its mission which fills me with admiration for our work here. The vast majority of my views towards the Peace Corps are positive. It is a wonderful organization doing truly incredible things all over the world and I’m proud to be a part of it. But it is not perfect. The flaws that have been presented, though unfortunately timed, need to be addressed and I would very much like to hear more from Peace Corps regarding these matters. The statistics are strong, Peace Corps is a safe organization. But, when there are warning signs, safety should come before image, before reputation, in all circumstances.

My thoughts and prayers go out to Kate Puzey and her family for all they have been through. I hope she has found peace and that her bravery is remembered by the people and community in which she served. She truly was a hero just as her father said, as are all people who stand up for the rights of women and minors despite how difficult it may be to come forward and be the one who has to take action. I’m very impressed by all who have done this, those of whom I know personally and those of whom I do not.

“Doing what’s right isn’t always positively accepted and doing what’s positively accepted isn’t always right.”

20/20 Special

-Age