[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 77 (Friday, June 4, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1035]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   HEALTH, SAFETY, AND SECURITY OF PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEERS ACT OF 2004

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                               speech of

                         HON. MARTIN T. MEEHAN

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 1, 2004

  Mr. MEEHAN. Mr. Speaker, as we consider H.R. 4060, the Health, 
Safety, and Security of Peace Corps Volunteers Act of 2004, I want to 
bring to my colleagues' attention the tragic disappearance of a Peace 
Corps Volunteer from my Congressional District, Walter Poirier of 
Lowell, Massachusetts.
  Walter Poirier served as a tourism advocate in the Zongo Valley of 
Bolivia from August of 2000 until May of 2001 when he was officially 
declared missing by the U.S. Embassy. He has never been seen since. 
Following Walter's disappearance, I requested a GAO investigation of 
this case, which concluded that the Peace Corps failed to adequately 
supervise Walter and eventually lost track of him. The GAO also found 
that the Peace Corps provided ``uneven'' implementation of its own 
safety and security procedures that could pose a risk for its 
volunteers. I am now writing a letter to Peace Corps Director Gaddi 
Vasquez urging him to appoint an official to focus solely on the 
investigation of Walter's disappearance.
  Unfortunately, the case of Walter Poirier is not unique. The GAO 
reports that the incident rate for major physical assaults nearly 
doubled from an average of 9 per 1,000 volunteer years from 1991-93 to 
an average of 17 per 1,000 volunteer years in 1998-2000. Despite 
concerns from Congress and the public that the Peace Corps has not 
provided the necessary safety and security for its participants, the 
organization continues to send volunteers alone to remote and isolated 
areas and fails to provide adequate housing, supervision, or jobs to 
keep volunteers busy. I remain very concerned about the ability of the 
Peace Corps to implement its own safety and security policies in the 
face of rising violence.
  I applaud the House International Relations Committee for holding 
hearings on the safety and security of Peace Corps volunteers and 
swiftly reporting out the Health, Safety, and Security of Peace Corps 
Volunteers Act. I also thank the committee for inviting Walter 
Poirier's father to testify and share his personal story about the 
tragic loss of his son. I have urged the Senate Foreign Relations 
Committee to follow suit.
  This legislation takes a number of critical steps to enhance safety 
and security procedures within the Peace Corps, including creating an 
ombudsman to receive complaints, questions and concerns from current or 
former volunteers regarding safety and security. The bill also 
establishes an Office of Safety and Security of the Peace Corps 
responsible for all safety and security activities at the agency and 
requires the Peace Corps to report to Congress on the effects of limits 
imposed on the duration of Peace Corps assignments and a study on 
medical screening procedures used by the agency.
  For decades, Peace Corps volunteers have played a critical role in 
promoting stability and prosperity in developing countries. Today they 
are asked to play an even more important role in correcting the 
misperceptions that many have of America. It's a troubling fact that 
anti-Americanism is on the rise in many parts of the world. That makes 
the mission of the Peace Corps more important than ever. But it also 
makes the task of protecting volunteers more urgent than ever.
  While the passage of this legislation is by no means a solution to 
all of the Peace Corps' security problems, it is certainly a positive 
step forward. If the Peace Corps wants to fulfill its goal of doubling 
the size of its agency over the next five years--a goal we all share--
it must provide its volunteers the safety and security they need.
  I therefore strongly support the passage of this bill.

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