§2507c. Office of Victim Advocacy

(a) Establishment of Office of Victims ¹ Advocacy

(1) In general

The President shall establish an Office of Victim Advocacy in Peace Corps headquarters headed by a full-time Victim's Advocate who shall report directly to the Director. The Office of Victim Advocacy may deploy personnel abroad when necessary to help assist victims.

(2) Prohibition

Peace Corps Medical Officers, Safety and Security Officers, and program staff may not serve as Victim's Advocates. The Victim's Advocate referred to in paragraph (1) may not have any other duties in the Peace Corps that are not reasonably connected to victim advocacy.

(3) Exemption

The Victim's Advocate and any additional Victim's Advocates shall be exempt from the limitations specified in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of paragraph (2) and paragraph (5) under section 2506(a) of this title.

(b) Responsibilities

(1) Victims of sexual assault

The Office of Victim Advocacy shall help develop and update the sexual assault risk-reduction and response training described in section 2507a of this title and the sexual assault policy described in section 2507b of this title, ensure that volunteers who are victims of sexual assault receive services specified in section 2507b(c) of this title, and facilitate their access to such services.

(2) Other crimes

In addition to assisting victims of sexual assault in accordance with paragraph (1), the Office of Victim Advocacy shall assist volunteers who are victims of crime by making such victims aware of the services available to them and facilitating their access to such services.

(3) Priority

The Office of Victim Advocacy shall give priority to cases involving serious crimes, including sexual assault and stalking.

(c) Status updates

The Office of Victim Advocacy shall provide to volunteers who are victims regular updates on the status of their cases if such volunteers have opted to pursue prosecution.

(d) Transition

The Office of Victim Advocacy shall assist volunteers who are victims of crime and whose service has terminated in receiving the services specified in section 2507b(c) of this title requested by such volunteer.

(e) Policymaking

The Director of the Peace Corps shall include the head of the Office of Victim Advocacy in agency-wide policymaking processes in the same manner and to the same extent as the directors or associate directors of other offices within the Peace Corps.

(Pub. L. 87–293, title I, §8C, as added Pub. L. 112–57, §2, Nov. 21, 2011, 125 Stat. 739 ; amended Pub. L. 115–256, title III, §304, Oct. 9, 2018, 132 Stat. 3658 .)

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2018-Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 115–256, §304(1), (2), substituted "Victim's Advocate" for "victim advocate" and "Victim's Advocates" for "victim advocates" wherever appearing.

Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 115–256, §304(3), amended subsec. (e) generally. Prior to amendment, text read as follows: "This section shall cease to be effective on October 1, 2018."

¹ So in original. Probably should be "Victim".