Peace Corps abuse victims speak out

>>> and now to an awful story that was revealed about the tragic cost of good intentions. about young american women who follow the call of john f. kennedy and many others since and join the peace corps to make the world better. today, they testify about being brutally attacks while on assign assignment and what happened when they spoke out about it. the story from nbc news capitol hill correspondent kelly o'donnell.

>> reporter: their faces, once filled with wide-eyed optimist about changing the world. today before congress --

>> i'm a former peace corps volunteer and a rape survivor.

>> reporter: chilling kaekts of rapes, beating, and mistreatment while over sea. jessica volunteered in bangladesh in 2004 . she said she reported to peace corps volunteers there and in washington that she was terrorized.

>> the men dragged me into an abandoned court pch yard, and the violence began. they started raping me, and they forced other objects inside my body.

>> reporter: carol paul reports being repeatedly raped by a supervisor.

>> for the next 15 hours, he raped and beat me. for a lang time, i play prayed to live, and then i died.

>> kathd rn's daughter kate was killed in west africa .

>> kate was the heart of our family. and our lives have been shattered.

>> reporter: in 2009 , kate reported sexual assault to a local peace corps official who tipped off the suspect.

>> within a few days, she was murdered.

>> that official was fired, suspects are in custody. the most recent figures, 129 sexual assaults reported in 2008 . about 1,000 attacks reported in the past ten years.

>> the peace corps staff instruktded us not to tell our families about the attacks. rrtd now in its 50th year, today, the peace corps has 8600 volunteers in 77 countries promising to take action, director aaron williams said the peace corps regrekts not doing a better job and is working with host countries to protect justice and volunteers.

>> this type of thing of blaming the victim will not continue in the peace corps today.

>> reporter: it's striking that the women say they still believe in the peace corps but they want congress to step in for better protection for future volunteers.