[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 64 (Wednesday, May 11, 2011)]
[House]
[Page H3207]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         AMERICAN ANGELS ABROAD

  (Mr. POE of Texas asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, they are America's angels abroad. They 
are ambassadors for America, and they are good folks that represent 
everything that is right about our country. They are the Peace Corps 
volunteers. And this is the 50th year of the Peace Corps. These are the 
most wonderful people I think I've ever met.
  But there's a problem in the Peace Corps because many times these 
volunteers go overseas, they help out other countries, but they become 
victims of crime and victims of sexual assault. In fact, in 2009 there 
were 122 of them that were victims of sexual assault by predators in 
foreign countries.
  And the problem is there's not much compassion, not much concern, and 
not much care with the Peace Corps about the plight of these victims 
according to the victims who testified today.
  But those things are changing. Director Williams is committed to 
making the Peace Corps a safe place for our volunteers overseas. We're 
going to work with him and these victims to promote legislation so that 
we will have a protocol that is the law so that they are treated 
better.
  We are the greatest human rights Nation in the world. We promote 
human rights, but human rights need to also apply to victims in the 
Peace Corps who are sexually assaulted overseas.
  And that's just the way it is.

                          ____________________