By Anna Schecter and Kate Snow
Rock Center
The day after a Rock Center report on the sexual abuse of high school foreign exchange students aired, the State Department’s Inspector General issued a scathing report that challenged spokesperson Toria Nuland’s assertion to NBC News that the Department has taken the necessary steps to protect students.
The IG report said an exchange organization had for years been placing high school students in the home of a convicted murderer. The Department did not terminate the organization from the program until a year after this information was discovered, the report said.
Watch the full Rock Center investigation HERE.
Some organizations that placed students in the homes of convicted felons continued for extended periods to operate as “designated sponsors,” according to the report. Those "designated sponsors" are regulated by the State Department.
The report cited 118 allegations of sexual abuse or harassment of high school exchange students in 2010 and 2011.
The new report’s findings contradict Nuland’s assertion on Rock Center March 14. She said in response to a 2009 IG report that was also critical of the high school foreign exchange program, the Department had significantly improved the oversight.
In that 2009 report, the IG recommended that the Department conduct on-site reviews of the organizations that place students with families. The most recent IG report found only 39 of 92 organizations had been reviewed.
Furthermore, the IG found 15 of the organizations did not comply with regulations. They failed to complete criminal background checks on families, resulting in teens being placed in homes of sex offenders and other felons. Instead of shutting down or suspending the organizations as required by law, most received only a letter of reprimand.
The report recommends strengthening the background checks because “significant risk remains that students may be placed in homes with criminals.”
The IG report accused the office in charge of the high school foreign exchange program of exaggerating their reform efforts to senior State Department staff, overstating how much they did to punish offending organizations.
The report also recommended more oversight for American students who go abroad to study in foreign countries.
“Although U.S. Embassies respond when there is a problem, they have no mandate to be pro-active or to conduct site visits that might forestall problems,” the report said.
The IG said the Department should establish a maximum fee that foreigners pay to participate. NBC News reported that parents of high school foreign exchange students can pay more than $10,000 for their child’s year in the U.S.
The report recommends capping the number of foreign visitors that come through the Department’s “exchange visitor program.” More than 300,000 foreigners, including high school students, au pairs, camp counselors and doctors came to the U.S. in 2010
A spokesperson for the State Department said the timing of the release of the IG report was unrelated to the Rock Center report and that the agency "values the work of the Office of the Inspector General."
"We recognize that there are major issues that need to be addressed and over the last three years we have taken aggressive action to reform internal and external operations of the Bureau and its programs. There remains much room for improvement and we are fully committed to addressing the issues outlined in the report," a State Department spokesperson said.
The spokesperson reiterated that the Department has a zero tolerance policy for the abuse of exchange program participants.
More from Rock Center:
- Resources on the Foreign Exchange Program
- Critics blame State Department for turning a blind eye to sex abuse
- Foreign exchange students sexually abused in program overseen by State Department
Leave a Comment:
These organizations that place students often do a terrible job. I know one group that sent French, German and Brazilian students to live with families who were dysfunctional...alcoholism, drugs, domestic abuse, etc. The field directors are paid per student. They were sloppy, short-sighted and selfish. This Rock Center report is not surprising...but sooooo disturbing. Would you want your high school son or daughter to live with a convicted murderer or sexual abuser in South Africa or Portugal? Many of these sponsors ought to be prosecuted.
It looks like someone somewhere is making a quick buck running an international child abuse ring, right under the fed's nose...
Seriously? Placing a child in a convicted murderer's home? Sounds intentional. Wasnt there a report yesterday that said some of the kids were placed with pedophiles living in trailer parks in rural Arkansas?
Could be a more sinister thing than the eye meets...
The feds need to get at the bottom of this...child abuse of any kind is one that should never be tolerated in a civil world, let alone in the United States of America. C'mon folks, this makes us look bad....
Motts in KC, sounds like you live in Dorothy's Kansas. There's no place like home, there's no place like home.
The rest of the US is full of dope fiends, drunks and violence. Fat men with beer guts and tank tops listening Rush Limbaugh before "communicating" with their girlfriend (marriage is so 1950s). Beer breath and marijuana seeds litter the floor.
Why don't the universities do the placement? If the student is an "exchange student" that means he's in highschool or college. Let this be transferred to the universities and take it away from private so-called non-profits.
"These organizations that place students often do a terrible job. I know one group that sent French, German and Brazilian students to live with families who were dysfunctional...alcoholism, drugs, domestic abuse, etc. The field directors are paid per student. They were sloppy, short-sighted and selfish. This Rock Center report is not surprising...but sooooo disturbing. Would you want your high school son or daughter to live with a convicted murderer or sexual abuser in South Africa or Portugal? Many of these sponsors ought to be prosecuted."
I hope you reported it to the authorities. Honestly to live with a convicted murderer or sexual abuser is really a no go.
For the placement of the students Lots of interviews should be taking place, lots of long-term interviews as well to potential host families. I also think that a outside party such as a school counselor can act and even call the family if actions on the part of the hiring agency does not resolve the issue.
I hope the Rock Center tracks this story and does not let go of it. It is a national disgrace and I agree, those responsible should be, must be prosecuted to show that the State Department does not tolerate egregious transgressions like this.
This goes along very well with something that's been driving me crazy for Months now. The acceptable standards in so many areas of life have dropped to mediocrity. No longer are there any expectations of excellence. Work place, schools, Doctor's offices etc...as we've all dropped our expectations and tolerated or accepted mediocre service or standards that's what we're getting and it seems like that's okay! It's NOT okay...but now that it's been accepted and excused how do we turn it around so that we don't accept it.
Someones dropping the ball and apparently has been for awhile. Now they're saying they're making the necessary changes and there's more to be done but they're aware and working on it. What is happening in the meantime to our students and those that come here for an exchange? This is someones child and it's not acceptable that there should even be this pervasive of a problem. It's not acceptable that anyone should be in danger while they're working on the problem which could take even longer to overhaul. Seriously...if young people are getting harmed stop placing them until you get your standards up to where they should be. I'm sick of the "oh sorry...we're working on it. FIX it now.
I know there will always be exceptions to any rule but it should be unusual not usual. Most of my life I worked for Supervisors who demanded excellence. I found myself moving within their expectations and working towards that. Now I find there is no such expectation and people don't even try or care because it's all okay. Again, it's not okay and we need to expect excellence again. If we expect it and stop accepting mediocrity then I'd bet we'd see far different results. Yes maybe I am being terribly naive but it just makes sense to me. Let's raise the bar and hold the people responsible...responsible!!
Needed to rant...thanks for letting me.
I agree 100% with what msloco said. I think mediocrity has become the downfall of this country. I see it in so many areas of life. I think a lot of it is due to the fact that the general public doesnt feel like they have any power to change. I know I tried for 9 years to make a positive change in my current job. I came across obstacles the entire way including my own boss who gladly accepts mediocrity and is my biggest hurdle. I too gave up. I know of no one in my field who is taking steps to make a positive change. But I do know of many who have given up after many years of desperation.
They have got to do a better job. And no, Motz in KC, I wouldn't want my child placed with a sex offender or convicted murderer in South Africa or Portugal. I wouldn't want my child placed with a sex offender or convicted murderer in Europe, either. Or anyplace else.
This is so rediculous. These families pay over $10,000.00 to send thier kids somewhere and with all that money these agencies can perform background checks?!?!?! Every apartment building i move into does background checks and i pay a measly $450 a month. If my rental companies can do it so can a student placement agency getting paid 10 grand.
Amen to That!!! I think Govt. should make background checks mandatory for these "Agency's." That way everyone is held responsible and if they don't comply then the Govt. can get them where it hurts the most..$$$$...FINES!!! I'm sure only THEN they will do background checks.
But that would be more government regulations and interference in people's lives!! We can't have that!!!
Vote Republican to cut government services and get rid of regulation!!
100% on taraget. My question is what do they do with the $10k? They dont pay the sponsor families.
Definitely whoever oversees the operation should be doing better background checks,and when something troubling turns up on a background check such as being a convicted murderer those things can't be ignored.(Duh)
But a lot of long-term child abusers have squeaky clean records and manage to keep flying under the radar as they do their dirty work, for years.So I support giving these students clear options for what they can do if they have problems that including a 24 hour number to get them removed from the home immediately if they encounter abuse,and also education about how to tell when abuse may be about to occur.
The State Department must sever all ties with those irresponsible , greedy people. Immediately !
the answer is not to sever ties with these agencies, the state department should do it's job and regulate these agencies and what is happening to people brought into this country, this is how we have some many illegal aliens in this country because the people who get paid the big bucks won't do their jobs, so letting these agencies do things their way is all about the amighty buck, meanwhile, the students are being abused and placed with undesireables, there are more regulations and scrutiny in this country regarding adoption
I can assure you that they do background checks. My husband and I are getting to host our 8th exchange student and EVERY family gets a criminal background check and multiple home visits by more than one individual. This story is outdated and one sided!
Just curious -- does anyone know the statistics for abuse by natural parents on their own kids? No matter what, a single case ever is too much, but just curious.
If we would kill convicted murderer sex offenders (since they are aroused by defenselessness and choose their victims accordingly), then there would be no problem. The impetus to abuse would be significantly stifled by the penalty for it. Not to be cliche, but it's said that insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly, expecting different results; obviously sex abuse and murder instances are so commonplace we have special advocacy groups for them, so, the system is NOT working. Fix it. Make it so heinously unappealing to commit sexual abuse and murder in America that we can all sleep at night. Decrepit legal system. Feh. Foreigners: we are currently not worth the academic exchange. Go some place where they have their proverbial sh*t together. Like Singapore. You're safer there, and the math and English instruction are higher quality.
AMEN!!!!
This sort of situation with exchange students is NOT unique to the U.S.
A friend of mine was an exchange student in Chile and her host parent tried to seduce, then rape her. She escaped into the street and was stuck in a foreign country with no support and a powerful member of the local community out to get her because she had rebuffed his inappropriate advances. She suffered from PTSD over this incident. Young students involved in an exchange program are likely to get a REAL education about human nature and international cultures. Perhaps that is not necessarily a BAD thing. Living a sheltered life is certainly not a GOOD thing.
Popeye, you gotta be kidding. An event that gives someone PTSD is not necessarily a bad thing ? And it's bad to be sheltered ? Who taught you values ? I do not even want to guess who you are or where you come from. A young woman could have lost her life and liberty and you have a comment like that !
Shaking my head.
Popeye, the clueless shouldn't try to be insightful. You just sound twisted.
yeah and you can't have a battle of wits with an unarmed person so popeye put down your spit balls
Like I said before...people should have been jailed, fired, or both!
This is inexcusable! We can put a man on the moon, but we can't protect kids, either our own, or guests from other countries! That is just another reason Americans are essentially getting laughed at...as a country we have a bad habit of making bad choices and lucking out, but there is such a thing as going to the well too often. Sooner or later, you pay the piper, and in this case lawsuits galore are definitely coming.
If I were a foreign parent...I'd be thinking twice before sending my kids here...and I'm dead serious!
This subject matter disturbes me when you hear about this abuse of exchange students. What is going on in this country. Are there any normal people living on this planet anymore? It is becoming scary.
I am feeling the same way, but don't you realize that some children are abused in their own homes yet when they complain family members tell them to shut up or that it was their fault, instead of blaming the perps, just because they just cannot face the fact that anyone in their family has done such a thing.
In fact, those people are abusing their own children in the same ways. Even as grownups, the victims dread seeing or hearing these perps until the blessed news comes that their nightmare maker is dead forever.
The people in these organizations need to be sent to prison as accomplices to the crimes. There has be background checks done on everyone. The Embassies should do home visits on each of the students from their country and it should be the same if a U.S. student goes to a different country. This is rediculous that these organizations can't do a simple background check and home visit to make sure these kids are safe.
I can assure you that they do background checks. My husband and I are getting to host our 8th exchange student and EVERY family gets a criminal background check and multiple home visits by more than one individual. This story is outdated and one sided!
Just curious -- does anyone know the statistics for abuse by natural parents on their own kids? No matter what, a single case ever is too much, but just curious.
There is a huge difference between living a sheltered life and being raped or molested. Defending this behavior makes you as bad as the abusers.
Ugh. We have put so many cooks in the kitchen is it any wonder the broth is spoiled? One would think...honestly...that omissions like this would be verrrrrrry easy to spot. I mean, I have to practically give a blood specimen to fly anywhere these days and I am presumed guilty until proven otherwise before the TSA, IRS, etc. etc. And some shlub bureacrat(s) can't pick a convict out of public access files before sending KIDS to live with him? Good googly moogly... This is like sending chickens to live with Colonel Sanders.
I can't understand why it always has to be the youth that suffers over the stupidity of a single person or persons. Those kids have enough to be worried about getting the proper grades to actually stay in the exchange program and now thanks to the carelessness of those organizations they have to worry about being raped or murdered in their sleep. Society needs to find a way to isolate those bastards even if they have been released on "good behavior"
We hosted an exchange student from Brazil for a year. Not knowing what to expect and having never participated before, we took him on many weekend trips in surrounding states as well as a couple week long vacations and a cruise. We followed the rules of the organization, ex: not allowing him to ride in cars with other teenagers, no partying and at his parents wish only group events and no dating. We took him to many events to see as much culture in the U.S. and spent alot of time with him. We also felt sorry for many of the exchange students that were in this program and the homes they were placed in. I couldnt blame some of the students for being very dissalusioned as they were in homes where they just never spent time with them. Some students were used just for work, cleaning and babysitting. Although I realize that not everyone has the opportunity to travel, I do believe you should not consider hosting if you are not at least willing to make an effort to extend as much as possible in teaching a foreign exchange student about our country. We now have what we consider extended family in Brazil and since that time we have visited our student's family 4 times in Brazil and his family has visited us twice here in America. It took alot of committment in our time and a little money but was well worth the effort.
Thank goodness there's folks like you out there. Not sure if you were compensated or not....but I really think a lot of the programs should consider cutting out compensating host families so that the biggest incentive for families, is just the experiance of raising and interacting with someone from another country. Not using them as a meal ticket. Glad to hear your student had a great experiance!
Exchange programs have been privatized and contracted out to for profit organizations. Now what do we think is the priority here - safety or profit?
I do believe that in order to be certified by the US Department of State, the agencies have to be non-profit. The one we host with (YFU) most certain is. We also don't get paid to host and we're getting ready to host #8.
Well they wanted to have a real taste of american life..seems real to me.
Stop giving child abusers a slap on the wrist and placing them on a list that no one ever or hardly ever checks...lock them up after one offense and throw away the key. Stop taking their word and listen to the children. I have known many cases that the child(victim) or their parents felt like the perpetrator rather than the abuser. People get more time for getting caught with a joint...not that I am in agreemnent with smoking a joint either though...I am one of those so-called right wing nuts...lol. If the abusers knew they were going to get more than embarrassment it would be much less committing the crime.Don't always blame these organizations bc it is the judicial system that puts these creeps back out there on the street.
You cannot pass the buck on this, Pat. The organization knows that there are criminals out there and should have done everything to prevent these desasters from happening. A spot check every now and then - or at least before the student gets there- would have disqualified these perverts.
And to the Nam Vet : I disagree. That is not The US of A, but those are the a$$es of A ! This is serious. I guess you have no kids.
Great satan....USA
Sunil - watch your mouth. These are single incidents and do not reflect the entire country. Look at your own - there these things get swept under the carpet and the victims get stoned to death. So there.
quiet infidel
Parents of ALL countries need to be careful when sending their kid to another country to stay with strangers. I remember this story about an American kid in Egypt - went from 145 lbs to 95 after being nearly starved to death by his host family.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,333173,00.html
ps I stayed with two families in France when I was a student, had a wonderful time. Merci!
I am shocked by the horror stories concerning exchange programs. All exchange programs are under control of the State department. So is our organization. I am a member of this service organization of 1 1/4 mil. members world wide. We are volunteers and families that are hosting a student are not receiving any compensation.We host every year hundreds of students from abroad and sending students out to many countries in the world. Our rules are strict for both the host families as for the students. Before a family can host a student, they are interviewed, back ground checked and their house checked what accommodation they can offer the student, like shared or own bedroom and bath. If the background check turns up a conviction in the family, the family cannot host a student. Each student stays for the period of minimum 3 month and maximum 6 month with one family and than move to the next family. Each student has a counselor, also a member of our organization, that meets every week with the student outside the home. If a problem occurs this will be handled within our organization by the responsible persons and a decision will be taken, by either disciplinary action, sending back home, or the student be moved to another host family. The cost for one year in the States is for our students depending where they are coming from, between the $3000 and $5000 and is mainly for airline cost and transportation to get togethers with other exchange students that are organized during the year. I have hosted 9 students over the past 9 years and am still in touch with all of them. The reason that our organization is involved in this program is to give foreign students the chance to experience another culture and to see what the US is all about, in other words a goodwill program. What a pity that some organizations are so poorly managed.
Yours isn't the only one that does all that - we host with another one and we get to keep the kid for the full school year.
Swings both ways. There was a kid from South America that came to my home town with the expectation that he would live with some rich Americans who would shower him with gifts. Welcome to middle class America. He was deeply disappointed with the common folks he was placed with as well as the subsequent placements in the community. Maybe these programs need to scale back. Most high school kids are punks. I know. I was.
Of course, there are some students who do not appreciate the offered friendship, but to abuse a student is wrong - the family could and probably did sent the little puck back home. I have never been a sponsor mainly because I never had the resources but I have meet a number of HS and College foreign exchange students who were happy with whom they were placed. I met them because they were working and going to school at the same time - certainly not spoiled now were they.
It is all about the money these organizations make, and when it comes to turning a blind eye or making a dollar they will whitewash any situation and hope that it will fly.
I am sure government regulations and greed created this problem. It would be better if the parents and students were able to deal directly with the schools and universities there would be less of this kind of crap. Not to mention it would probably cost less as well. To the posters who suggest that the individuals running these organization should be held accountable I agree 100% with you.
I work as a local volunteer for a foreign exchange program. The things that happened to these kids is absolutely horrible. And if someone out in the field or with the group's main staff can be shown to have done something illegal, they absolutely should be held responsible. That said, I know for my part and those with whom I work, we take our job very seriously. In-home evaluations are done on every potential host family, criminal background checks are run on absolutely everyone in the home (including being done on me and our family doesn't even host yet), two different people visit every single home right after a student is placed in a home, and we talk to every student every month to make sure they are doing well during their stay. Sure, are there horrible people doing horrible things? Yes, but let's not throw everyone and every program under the bus when these are isolated events out of the thousands of kids participating in these programs. The systems are in place to ensure kids are not victimized; organizations just need to be more focused on safety over profit.
Scott, that sounds exactly what is right. Why don't you tell us the name of your organization ?
I'm with you Scott! I am a 7-time host mom and volunteer as well. Most reputable organizations (I'm with YFU, I've talked to one with AFS and a couple other programs) do it. The best thing to do is host with a program that does these things -- reward them by being involved with them!
Americans don't want the death penalty we don'twant to pay for children to be removed from abusive environments we don't want to be ruthless in war we don't want to control birth rate growth and we can't pay to keep the growing number of criminals behind bars.
Bottom line: criminals murderers pedophiles rapists and thieves are released back into the population over and over again to prey upon us.
What's really important here is how it is somehow Obama's fault and no one is talking about that.
no, it's not Obamas fault. It is liberals fault, government employees fault. Every time anyone tries to do anything about these problems, up jumps the ACLU or some left wing nut trying to make excuses for why these people aren't jailed. OH! I hear the ranting against my post now, but all you have to do is read the newspaper every day.
Oh SHUT UP on "liberals and Obama" already!!!
If it wasn't for us liberals wanting regulations and things like social services that YOUR kind would axe in a minute because you hate paying a dime of your precious TAXES for anything except making sure my PUSSY is regulated and "eggs and corporations get personhood" a lot MORE kids would be dead from neglect and abuse. You make me SICK!!!
I think we shouldn`t change the system one bit. Let`s let these foreign students have a well rounded expirience of what the real America is.
Seriously? The real America is an America of rapists and murderers?
Maybe I wasn't paying attention during my experience as an exchange student because I didn't see it that way....
MC - you are a hoot. LMFAO. Liege....it depends on what America you got to experience. You must have gotten "American the Beautiful." We also have "America the Hateful & Bigoted," "American the Faithful," "America the Intellectual," and "American the Frightfully Ignorant.
America is a melting pot of everything -- a country of constrasts.
Well, I spent a year in a small town in Mississippi so I guess it doesn't quite fits with "America the Beautiful". It's kind of between "America the Faithful" and "America the Ignorant".
However, this was a fascinating experience. The southerners are a very hospitable people and I had an insight on American society totally different from the usual TV clichés.
I've been working with an exchange agency for the last 4 yrs. There is no excuse for the abuse happening within the system. The guidelines laid out for us by the state department are very clear. We are tested and approved in order to work, so each of us knows exactly what our responsibilities are. There are many safeguards in place to prohibit these types of things from happening. If the rules were followed and the state department actually followed up on the rules abuses of these types would be almost non-existant.
The work of foreign exchange agencies is a wonderful thing. There are so many wonderful people who love kids and whose lives are enriched through meeting people from many different cultures. There are amazing host families who bring such joy to people from around the world.
Many people have asked where does that 10,000 go?? First off it's not usually that much, between 5-7,000 is probably much more accurate. That is very simple. Part of that money goes to the agency in their home country. They facilitate all the paperwork and applications that must be filed. Part of the money goes to the American agency, agencies secure their visas, deal with all state department requirements, obtain medical insurance and oversee their stay. Part of the money, (the smallest portion) goes to people like me who find the host families, take them through the background research process and then oversee the student and host family throughout the year. If a company does their job correctly it is not a huge amount that they pay for the work that goes into making a successful exchange.
It is not uncommon for students to be dissapointed that Americans are not wealthy with indiscriminate excess funds. They are often surprised to learn that most American families live within a budget. They are also often dissapointed to learn that most of American does not look like LA or NY. Most of America is comprised of small towns where people lead simple lives. Students sometimes come expecting to party, they have the mistaken idea that American families let their children run around... while in reality most parents in small-town America expect alot of responsibility from their children in exchange for the freedoms they enjoy.
A few thoughts from a Foreign Exchange Student Coordinator
Personally, because of my limited means, small home, a husband that works 3rd shift and having an 8 and 10 year old with a "messy average house" because I do what I can when I get to it like most middle income folks and by middle income, I MEAN "middle income, I could not do what so many have done in these reports by telling outright lies and deceiving these poor kids.
I am not ashamed of my home by any means as we have a family who loves each other and our girls do well in school, we have not broken the law and are just your everyday family who does have an extra room and two full baths to accomodate another person in that sense but realisticlly? I know we would not be a good "fit" or be able to fulfill that person's needs when we struggle too. It would not be fair to them. If these kids have the expectation of something more, let them HAVE it IMO. I would not want to go all the way to France to live in a so-so house just to be someone's live-in babysitter and maid.
The purpose of these programs is to get sa much out of seeing and experiencing the country you're in as well as the "school part of it". What is a student getting by being cramped up in a some ZERO TOWN USA?
Sorry!