§2507c Office of Victim Advocacy

Summary

Create an Office of Victim Advocacy at Peace Corps headquarters. It must be led by a full-time Victim’s Advocate who reports directly to the Director and can send staff abroad to help victims. Peace Corps Medical Officers, Safety and Security Officers, and program staff cannot serve as Victim’s Advocates. The Victim’s Advocate may not have other duties that are not directly tied to helping victims. The Victim’s Advocate and any extra Victim’s Advocates are exempt from the limits in section 2506(a)(2)(A), 2506(a)(2)(B), and 2506(a)(5). The office must help create and update the sexual assault training in section 2507a and the sexual assault policy in section 2507b. It must make sure volunteers who are sexual assault victims get the services in section 2507b(c) and help them access those services. It must also tell and help volunteers who are crime victims about available services, give priority to serious crimes (like sexual assault and stalking), give regular updates to volunteers who choose to pursue prosecution, help former volunteers get the services in section 2507b(c), and include the head of the office in agency-wide policymaking like other office directors.