Press Releases

Congresswoman Wilson Promotes Safety, Fights Sexual Assault in the Peace Corps

Congresswoman Wilson (FL-17) offered a series of amendments today during a committee markup in the House Committee on Foreign Affairs:

“The safety and security of our young men and women in the Peace Corps is an issue that has been swept under the rug for far too long,” said Congresswoman Wilson. “These common-sense measures will promote their well-being and help reduce the appalling rate of sexual assaults on our female corps members. I applaud Chairman Ros Lehtinen and Ranking Member Berman for addressing this very important issue.”

Congresswoman Wilson’s amendments require the establishment of a “Sexual Assault Advisory Council” within six months, require the Peace Corps to study the benefits of extending internet service to its volunteers, state explicitly that there will be no loss of pay for any corps member reporting a sexual assault, and extends the measurement of crimes, arrests, and prosecutions within Peace Corps-serviced nations to those the program may return to in the foreseeable future – such as Haiti which has had Peace Corps volunteers as recently as 2005.

The Committee markup encompassed two bills, H.R. 2699 – The Peace Corps Volunteer Service Improvement Act of 2011 and H.R. 2337 – The Kate Puzey Peace Corps Volunteer Protection Act of 2011, that address the crisis of sexual assault within the ranks of the Peace Corps.

Rep. Frederica S. Wilson is a first-term congresswoman representing the 17^th District of Florida, including Northern Miami-Dade and Southeast Broward Counties. She is a former state legislator and school principal and the founder of the 5000 Role Models for Excellence Project, a mentoring program for young males at risk of dropping out of school.