Comments on: Casualties of Peace

By: Dan

Dan — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 01:24:29 +0000

I’ve definitely been surprised by the Dayton paper’s report. But thinking about crime, I realized that in my program, I knew one friend who was mugged and had a rib broken, and was burglarized twice more. I had another friend whose house was invaded by an armed man while she was alone in bed, I knew three others who were burglarized, and one was attacked in the middle of the day. My program was a master’s degree–in the beach town of Wilmington, North Carolina. Where they, you know, filmed Dawson’s Creek.

By: fmeuvd

fmeuvd — Tue, 18 Apr 2006 00:59:25 +0000

Hi there,
I am currently in the process of applying to the Peace Corps. I am very excited about the possibility of serving, however, have some safety concerns. If you have the time, I would greatly appreciate any insights you provide into the issue. Do you feel safe where you serve? Do you have a support network from the program, local community members and/or other volunteers in the area? Again, any advice or concerns shared would be greatly appreciated. Please take care and I hope to hear from you.

Sincerely,
Robyn
rtakamin@willamette.edu

By: lauren

lauren — Mon, 16 Jan 2006 00:42:34 +0000

I don’t mean any judgment behind this - I definitely didn’t read the whole thing - but I’m curious about when the article was written? I did see the page with the breakdown of PCVs per country and noticed that it had statistics for countries whose programs were suspended, and the numbers for the program I was last in were way off.

By: mjmenelli

mjmenelli — Fri, 23 Dec 2005 17:24:40 +0000

I think I can agree with all three of the comments posted. Scott, you did a great service to future volunteers by posting the Daily News article, it does help to be informed of all of the dangers of traveling abroad. What I did not find useful in the article is the overly urgent tone of the series. I could not see how the article demonstrated unique dangers towards PCV’s aside from the universal dangers of being an inexperienced American traveler.

I felt a bit of fear-mongering in the articles, especially when the series went on to discuss how “secretive” the PC security record is. A cursory glance at the website will lead you to their yearly safety and security report [http://peacecorps.gov/policies/pdf/volsafety2002.pdf] which goes in depth to explain security mechanisms, protocol for reporting events, and data on events by geography. I will be leaving for the Dominican Republic in February of 2006, and consider my own safety and security to be of the utmost importance towards a successful experience. Aside from noting the obvious dangers of “wealthy” Americans traveling to developing nations with poorly established security records and infrastructure (and the inherent safety risk women face), the paper blips over:

“The mission of the Peace Corps is to foster world peace and friendship by helping other countries, by telling the world about Americans and by sharing the experience with other Americans. Most of the more than 350 volunteers interviewed by the Daily News, even assault victims, looked favorably on their service. Many felt it was the most significant experience in their lives, giving them a new understanding of the world and leaving them with a new appreciation for the opportunities in the United States.”

A useful concession that is all but missing in the remainder of the November 2003 special. A quick read through of the titles makes it more than obvious that the stories are hinged upon sensationalism and manipulating quotes from unsuspecting interviewees. The information could have easily been synthesized into a full length article. Journalistic style aside, the story is quite useful to alert unsuspecting volunteers of the real dangers that Americans abroad face everyday.

By: Hentry Roth

Hentry Roth — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 16:39:01 +0000

Bad things happen in America or aboard. If you are a smart PCV and work at the language and learning the culture, you will keep yourself safe. Sure, you will be a beacon for attention but that is why you spend so much time learning the culture.

If you are not willing to work at blending in you will have to deal with what comes. By learning about the culture, buidling relationships and working hard to truly become a member of my community, I have had no problems. However, I know people who have done just the opposite setting themselves off from thier community for what ever reason and they have had a very bad service.

Go in with an open heart and be willing to adopt to your surroundings. If you go "native" you will be safe.