After being raped in so-called third world countries while serving as Peace Corps volunteers, women return to the good old U.S.A. to find a thriving rape culture:When she returned to the United States, the reception she received from Peace Corps officials was as devastating, she said, as the rape itself. In Bangladesh, she had been given scant medical care; in Washington, a counselor implied that she was to blame for the attack. For years she kept quiet, feeling “ashamed and embarrassed and guilty.”
Today, Ms. Smochek is among a growing group of former Peace Corps volunteers who are speaking out about their sexual assaults, prompting scrutiny from Congress and a pledge from the agency for reform. .
[I]t is difficult to assess whether the volunteers face any greater risk overseas than women in the United States do.
Peace Corps Gang Rape: Volunteer Says U.S. Agency Ignored Warnings . . Peace Corps has ignored safety concerns and later tried to blame the women who were raped for bringing on the attacks.
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