A Police Perspective

Subject: FW: Former WV High School Principal Involved In Sexual Assaults On Exchange Students
From: "Chris Gould" <Chris.Gould@avonandsomerset.police.uk>
Date: Thu, May 21, 2009 8:31 am
To: <KCarson@wvsp.state.wv.us>
Cc: <westvirginianews@gmail.com>, <dgrijalva@csfes.org>

Dear Commander
 

Following receipt of the email below a few months ago, I am interested to hear further as to whether the Police have been able to pursue the information surrounding Scott King and the suggestion contained within, that he allegedly attempted to rape an International Foreign Exchange Student in his home?
 

These programmes are monitored and to a large extent controlled by rules imposed by the US State Department.  There is much concern at the moment around the growing number of cases where foreign exchange students are being treated inappropriately and in many instances unlawfully.  Many breaches of Visa requirements are being identified by the US State Department by organisations responsible for bringing these young people into the country.  The growing concern surrounds the International standing of the USA once these complaints are made by returning students in their countries of origin.
 

My interest in this matter is one of the police perspective.  I retired two years ago as a Detective Chief Superintendent in the UK after 30+ years service, much of which was devoted to child abuse investigation and homicides.  Following research I undertook for the Home Office and European Commission, I set up the Child-Safe international children's charity (whilst a serving officer).  The original research looked at the abuse suffered by children and young people on educational, cultural and language trips abroad.  The findings were significant and took me around the globe, investigating and researching.  Since setting up the charity, the aim has been to advise and support commercial and voluntary organisations involved with such programmes (including schools) and help them to reduce the opportunities for abuse within their organisation/homestays etc.  Much of the support comes from experience, intelligence and information gathered from victims, survivors and offenders.
 

I also work internationally with many different law enforcement agencies and Governments.  The charity is now supported and endorsed by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), the Home Office, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), the Centre for Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP), ECPAT International, the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and others.
 

My interest therefore is in the detail of the case, whether it has been investigated, the identity of the US based organisation through whom the foreign student came into the USA and anything else that will help lead to identifying preventative measures that can be put in place for the future?  I am happy for my details to be passed to the Youth Travel organisation and for them to contact me for further support if that is possible?  I am also able to advise and support law enforcement agencies by giving presentations or running seminars on what criminality is involved in this specialist area and how they can support the infrastructure of this almost 'invisible' industry (invisible to law enforcement agencies due the large scale under-reporting).
 

Scott King seems to be exactly the type of individual that the US State Department would not want involved in such programmes! 
 

I am grateful for your time and look forward to hearing from you in due course.  
 

Kindest regards
 

Chris Gould
Chief Executive Officer
Child-Safe International Ltd
Avon and Somerset Constabulary
PO Box 37 
Valley Road
Portishead
Bristol
BS20 8QJ
UK
www.child-safe.org.uk
Tel: +44 1275 816131
Fax: +44 1275 816655
Mobile: +44 7785 900310
(Registered Charity No.1105726)

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13 January 2008

17 Marola Avenue
Rostrevor
South Australia 5073
Tel (61) 8 8337 4102
Email freda.briggs@unisa.edu.au
 

Margery M. Pierce
Director
City of Oceanside Neighbourhood Services Department
 

Dear Ms Pierce,
 

I was so pleased to hear, through the international network, that Danielle Grijalva has been nominated for the Oceanside Dr. Martin King Junior Civic Award.
 

I am sure that Chief Superintendent Christopher Gould, founder of ChildSafe funded by British (Avon and Somerset) Police will agree with me that Ms Grijalva has single handedly done more than anyone else to make international exchanges safer for students travelling to the US.
 

She provides individual counseling and support for overseas students and their parents when things go wrong (which they frequently do). She single-handedly tackled federal authorities about the lack of regulations and child protection policies that enabled student exchange businesses to treat students with contempt, placing them in trailer parks and hammocks in garages while charging vasts sums of money. She exposed agencies that trick parents into thinking their children have caring hosts and schools waiting for them when, in reality, they are being trawled around shopping centres seeking hosts who are sometimes bribed with Walmart credits to take them in and when their personal details and photographs are published on the Internet, posters on bus stops and through letter-boxes.
 

Ms Grijalva withstood threats and criticism for demanding regulations which were introduced last year... Unfortunately they are badly monitoredand her work continues. She is a tireless pioneer who has made  personal, financial and family sacrifices to protect the world' children and the reputation of the US.
 

Her nomination is well deserved.
 

Yours sincerely
 

Professor Freda Briggs AO
University of South Australia

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Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Casey Urges Secretary Clinton to Investigate U.S. Youth Exchange Programs
Sends letter after reports of mistreatment of students in Pennsylvania

WASHINGTON, DC- U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asia Affairs, today sent a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urging her to investigate the Department of State’s oversight of U.S. youth exchange programs following reports of abuse and mistreatment of nine foreign exchange students in Pennsylvania.

“The situation these students found themselves in is simply unacceptable,” said Senator Casey.  “Education and Cultural Exchange Programs serve a valuable function.  They provide a powerful mechanism by which negative perceptions of America can be refuted and stronger ties between nations can be forged.  Therefore, I encourage the State Department to swiftly review its oversight procedures.  We must be able to guarantee the safety and welfare of visiting students.”

Nine foreign exchange students between the ages of 15 and 18 have been placed in the care of Lackawanna County’s Department of Human Services.  According to officials, some children were in need of medical attention due to malnutrition and dehydration while others were living in unsanitary conditions and in homes that were recently condemned.  Only after their teachers voiced concerns did their predicaments come to light.  Currently, foreign exchange students are eligible to attend approximately 430 high schools, colleges and universities throughout Pennsylvania.
 

Dear Secretary Clinton,

I am writing you today out of concern for foreign exchange students who were placed in unsanitary homes in Pennsylvania and what it means for the welfare of our nation’s youth exchange programs.  It has recently come to my attention that nine foreign exchange students between the ages of 15 and 18 are now in the care of the Department of Human Services in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania because they were placed with unsuitable host families.  According to Lackawanna County officials, some children were in need of medical attention due to malnutrition and dehydration while others were living in unsanitary conditions and in a home recently condemned. 

The stories from these children are disturbing.  One story was of a 15 year-old girl from Nigeria who was living in a house surrounded by dog feces.   According to news reports, this exchange student was living with the Area Coordinator of the sponsoring organization, the same person responsible for ensuring that other host families were living up to their obligations. The investigative reporter visited the house and confirmed the exchange student’s allegations and found dirt and feces throughout the house.  The situation this student found herself in is simply unacceptable.

It is my understanding that both the Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), under the Department of Homeland Security, share responsibility for overseeing and implementing youth exchange programs.  Through an independent third party – the Council on Standards for International Education Travel – the State Department provides accreditation and audits for private and non-profit international educational travel and youth exchange programs (also referred to as sponsors) on an annual basis.  The USCIS Student and Exchange Visitor Program is responsible for tracking and monitoring foreign exchange students, schools and programs as long as they reside in America.  When allegations of abuse arise, according to the secondary school student guidelines issued by the State Department, it is the sponsor’s responsibility to report and notify the incidents directly to the Department of State.

I am concerned that the current oversight system is reactive not proactive and permits the ongoing abuse of foreign students without any effective intervention until the situation is dire.  The situation these students found themselves in only came to attention once teachers voiced their concerns.  Therefore, I request answers to the following questions:

•           The Council on Standards for International Education Travel (CSIET) is the independent nonprofit organization that reviews sponsors on an annual basis and provides a public list of those who have received accreditation.  How does the Department of State determine whether the audits performed by CSIET meet agency regulations?  How often, if at all, does the Department of State perform checks on the various sponsors approved by CSIET?
•           Sponsors are required to “exercise due diligence” to ensure that the host families are screened properly and are found satisfactory. The Department of State has previously stated that “a mere superficial compliance with this regulatory requirement will not be tolerated.”  If it is determined that an approved sponsor has failed to demonstrate due diligence in their host family selection process, what are the consequences for that sponsor?
•           How much contact, if any, does the State Department have with sponsors?  With CSIET?
•           Are sponsors required to make home visits with students and their host families?  If so, how many times must a sponsor visit the home during a student’s stay? 
•           If a sponsor loses its accreditation, is the sponsor allowed to reapply for accreditation the following year, if at all?  If so, what steps must a sponsor take to have its accreditation restored?
•           How many Department of State employees work on youth exchange programs?

I am supportive of the cultural and educational exchange programs the Department of State promotes and funds.  Such exchange opportunities assist in dispelling negative images of the United States and helps convey our nation’s best attributes.  It is for these reasons that I am deeply concerned about allegations of abuse and mistreatment of foreign exchange students.  Stories like those emanating from Lackawanna County tarnish our reputation and undermine the mission of youth exchange programs.  I look forward to hearing your responses and working with you on guaranteeing the safety and welfare of foreign exchange students in the United States.

                                                                        Sincerely,
                                                                        Robert P. Casey, Jr. 

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