Safe from the Start Act of 2021

I 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 571 To improve United States consideration of, and strategic support for, pro- grams to prevent and respond to gender-based violence beginning with the onset of humanitarian emergencies, to build the capacity of humani- tarian assistance to address the immediate and long-term challenges resulting from such violence, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JANUARY 28, 2021 Ms. MENG (for herself, Mr. DIAZ-BALART, Ms. HOULAHAN, Mr. STEWART, Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida, Mr. CASE, Mr. PHILLIPS, Mr. MEEKS, Mr. CICILLINE, Ms. TITUS, Mr. DEUTCH, Mr. LOWENTHAL, Mr. TRONE, Ms. LEE of California, Ms. PINGREE, Mr. CONNOLLY, Ms. SPANBERGER, Mr. BILIRAKIS, Mr. COHEN, Mr. CA´RDENAS, Mr. EVANS, Ms. BASS, Ms. WILD, Mr. HASTINGS, Mr. CARBAJAL, Mr. GRIJALVA, Miss GONZA´LEZ- COLO´N, Mr. LAWSON of Florida, Mr. POCAN, Mrs. HAYES, Mr. MCGOV- ERN, and Mr. CARSON) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs A BILL To improve United States consideration of, and strategic support for, programs to prevent and respond to gender- based violence beginning with the onset of humanitarian emergencies, to build the capacity of humanitarian assist- ance to address the immediate and long-term challenges resulting from such violence, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:23 Feb 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H571.IH H571 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 571 IH SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 1 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Safe from the Start 2 Act of 2021’’. 3 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 4 Congress finds the following: 5 (1) Displaced, refugee, and stateless women and 6 girls in humanitarian emergencies, conflict settings, 7 and natural disasters face extreme violence and 8 threats, including— 9 (A) rape and sexual assault; 10 (B) domestic or intimate partner violence; 11 (C) child, early, and forced marriage; 12 (D) trafficking for the purposes of sexual; 13 (E) exploitation and forced labor; 14 (F) harmful traditional practices such as 15 female genital mutilation or cutting; and 16 (G) harassment, exploitation, and abuse by 17 humanitarian personnel. 18 (2) Gender-based violence is known to increase 19 during humanitarian emergencies. Violent acts such 20 as intimate partner violence and child marriage that 21 take place during times of stability are often exacer- 22 bated during times of crisis. 23 (3) For example, according to the United Na- 24 tions Organization Stabilization Mission in the 25 Democratic Republic of the Congo, there was an in- 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:23 Feb 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H571.IH H571 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 571 IH crease of 56 percent in reported cases of conflict-re- 1 lated sexual violence between 2016 and 2017. 2 (4) Nearly 1 in 5 women report experiencing 3 sexual violence during a humanitarian emergency. 4 (5) Intimate partner violence is pervasive and 5 becomes increasingly common during times of con- 6 flict and crisis. Residence in a conflict-affected dis- 7 trict is associated with a 50-percent increase in risk 8 of intimate partner violence, and women who have 9 experienced 4–5 cumulative years of conflict are al- 10 most 90 percent more likely to experience such vio- 11 lence than women who are not living in conflict set- 12 tings. 13 (6) Child, early, and forced marriages increase 14 during humanitarian crises and can be used as a 15 tool of last resort to cope with economic hardship 16 and to protect girls from increased violence. Conflict 17 can exacerbate cultural norms of child, early, and 18 forced marriage or create harmful cultural behaviors 19 where they had not previously existed. 20 (7) Women and girls are especially vulnerable 21 to trafficking during humanitarian crises, particu- 22 larly by non-state armed groups who abduct and 23 traffic women and girls for sexual exploitation, do- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:23 Feb 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H571.IH H571 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 571 IH mestic servitude, and child, early, and forced mar- 1 riage, among other forms of exploitation. 2 (8) The power imbalance between aid workers 3 and displaced people, combined with the economic 4 hardship caused by crises, creates markets for sexual 5 exploitation and abuse that are too frequently 6 abused by aid workers and peacekeepers seeking sex- 7 ual services from displaced or vulnerable people. 8 (9) In 2018, the United Nations received a 9 total of 148 sexual exploitation and abuse allegations 10 directly involving United Nations aid workers, and 11 111 involving staff from partner organizations im- 12 plementing United Nations programs. 13 (10) According to United Nations High Com- 14 missioner for Refugees, while women and girls are 15 most vulnerable to gender-based violence, 16 marginalized populations are also at particular risk 17 of gender-based violence in humanitarian crises, in- 18 cluding adolescent girls, older women, women and 19 children with disabilities, sexual and gender minori- 20 ties, and female heads of households. 21 (11) Gender-based violence is under-reported, 22 both in times of stability and during crises. While 23 data may not be immediately available in each crisis 24 or conflict, evidence shows that gender-based vio- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:23 Feb 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H571.IH H571 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 571 IH lence is consistently a major and pressing concern 1 for women and girls facing humanitarian emergency 2 contexts and should be assumed to be a protection 3 concern in all humanitarian planning and risk as- 4 sessment, even in the absence of data. 5 (12) Men and boys play a critical role in pre- 6 venting gender-based violence, and engaging them in 7 prevention and accountability activities while empow- 8 ering women and girls in the transformation of gen- 9 der roles and combating harmful norms that lead to 10 increased rates of gender-based violence at the onset 11 of emergencies, leads to lasting results. 12 (13) Survivors of gender-based violence during 13 humanitarian emergencies and their families require 14 immediate, life-saving assistance, including post-rape 15 care or access to other comprehensive medical and 16 psychosocial services, to address the physical, psy- 17 chological, and social impacts of gender-based vio- 18 lence. They also require long-term support such as 19 opportunities to earn livelihoods, build skills or re- 20 ceive an education, and access to justice and com- 21 munity-level reintegration. Early medical interven- 22 tions after incidents of rape can help to prevent in- 23 fections, HIV, and pregnancy. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:23 Feb 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H571.IH H571 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 571 IH (14) Empowering women to assume leadership 1 roles in delivering humanitarian response and mean- 2 ingfully engaging local organizations, including wom- 3 en’s rights, humanitarian, advocacy, and service-pro- 4 vider organizations, through training and directed 5 resources to operate in emergency settings and pro- 6 vide life-saving assistance is critical to supporting 7 survivors or those at risk of gender-based violence. 8 (15) The international community has 9 prioritized addressing the issue of gender-based vio- 10 lence in humanitarian contexts by launching a Glob- 11 al Call to Action on Protection from Gender-Based 12 Violence in Emergencies in 2013, which the United 13 States implemented through establishing the ‘‘Safe 14 from the Start’’ initiative, carried out by the Depart- 15 ment of State and the United States Agency for 16 International Development. 17 (16) Safe from the Start aimed to prevent and 18 respond to gender-based violence at the onset of an 19 emergency and to provide resources to strengthen 20 the core capacity of humanitarian assistance imple- 21 menters to address gender-based violence at the ear- 22 liest phases of an emergency, including through sup- 23 porting the development of training, guidelines, tool- 24 kits, and other resources to guide operations. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:23 Feb 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H571.IH H571 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 571 IH (17) The Women’s Entrepreneurship and Eco- 1 nomic Empowerment Act (Public Law 115–428) re- 2 quires the United States ‘‘to strive to eliminate gen- 3 der-based violence and mitigate its harmful effects 4 on individuals and communities’’ in its development 5 cooperation policy. Recognizing the need to prevent 6 and respond to gender-based violence globally, Con- 7 gress has appropriated $150,000,000 annually in 8 each of fiscal years 2013 through 2019 for this pur- 9 pose. 10 (18) The United States has further committed 11 to prevention and response to gender-based violence 12 globally through the interagency United States 13 Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based 14 Violence Globally, the Women, Peace and Security 15 Act Strategy and Implementation Plan, the U.S. 16 Global Strategy to Empower Adolescent Girls, the 17 U.S. Strategy to Support Women and Girls at Risk 18 from Extremism and Conflict, and the U.S. Govern- 19 ment Strategy on Advancing Protection and Care 20 for Children in Adversity. 21 SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 22 It is the policy of the United States— 23 (1) to take effective action to prevent, mitigate, 24 and address gender-based violence occurring during 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:23 Feb 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H571.IH H571 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 571 IH humanitarian emergencies around the world to pro- 1 mote respect for basic human rights and gender 2 equality, economic growth, improved public health, 3 and peace and stability; 4 (2) to ensure collective commitment to and ac- 5 countability for immediate humanitarian action on 6 gender-based violence at all levels, especially on the 7 part of senior humanitarian leadership; 8 (3) to maintain sustained political will and ro- 9 bust systems and processes in order to establish, 10 monitor, and enforce accountability for humanitarian 11 action; 12 (4) to systematically integrate and coordinate 13 efforts to prevent and respond to gender-based vio- 14 lence in United States foreign policy and foreign as- 15 sistance programs, including conflict prevention, hu- 16 manitarian relief and recovery, and peace-building 17 efforts; 18 (5) to promote accountability and access to jus- 19 tice for acts of gender-based violence; 20 (6) to build local capacity in countries respond- 21 ing to humanitarian crises, including the capacity of 22 governments at all levels and of nongovernmental or- 23 ganizations, especially women-focused and women- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:23 Feb 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H571.IH H571 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 571 IH led organizations, to prevent, mitigate, and respond 1 to gender-based violence; 2 (7) to consult, cooperate, coordinate, and col- 3 laborate with a wide variety of nongovernmental 4 partners and international organizations, including 5 women-focused and women-led organizations, when 6 designing and implementing humanitarian response 7 programs; 8 (8) to support activities that prevent and miti- 9 gate the impacts of gender-based violence in humani- 10 tarian settings and that empower survivors or those 11 at risk of gender-based violence, including through 12 economic opportunities, access to education and 13 skills building, and promotion of women’s leadership 14 and participation in humanitarian response; 15 (9) to ensure that international organizations 16 and nongovernmental organizations receiving fund- 17 ing from the United States have the capacity and in- 18 ternal protocols to address gender-based violence, in- 19 cluding sexual exploitation and abuse committed by 20 humanitarian personnel, integrate gender-based vio- 21 lence prevention and response initiatives into policies 22 and programs, and report regularly on efforts to 23 prevent and respond to gender-based violence; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:23 Feb 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H571.IH H571 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 571 IH (10) to employ a multisectoral approach to pre- 1 venting and responding to gender-based violence 2 globally, including through activities in the eco- 3 nomic, education, health, protection, nutrition, and 4 legal sectors; 5 (11) to ensure protection against sexual exploi- 6 tation and abuse by humanitarian actors; and 7 (12) to include the active leadership and par- 8 ticipation of women and girls in humanitarian pro- 9 gram design, implementation, and evaluation. 10 SEC. 4. SAFE FROM THE START AUTHORIZATION. 11 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of State, in co- 12 ordination with the Administrator of the United States 13 Agency for International Development, is authorized to es- 14 tablish an interagency effort, to be known as the ‘‘Safe 15 from the Start’’ program, to— 16 (1) coordinate efforts to prevent, mitigate, and 17 address gender-based violence in humanitarian cri- 18 ses; and 19 (2) provide assistance to international and local 20 non-governmental organizations to carry out Safe 21 from the Start programming. 22 (b) PROGRAMMING EFFORTS.—The Secretary shall 23 support efforts to prevent, mitigate, and address gender- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:23 Feb 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H571.IH H571 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 571 IH based violence through Safe from the Start, including the 1 following efforts: 2 (1) Building capacity to recognize, prevent, and 3 address gender-based violence in humanitarian set- 4 tings and to support survivors and those at risk. 5 (2) Promoting women’s leadership and partici- 6 pation in humanitarian response activities, including 7 the design, implementation, and evaluation of hu- 8 manitarian responses. 9 (3) Ensuring quality protection for survivors of 10 such crises beginning with the onset of the emer- 11 gency, by developing technical capability for advo- 12 cacy, monitoring, data collection, evaluation, and 13 communications, including timely gender analyses, 14 throughout the United States Government, recipient 15 country’s government, local nongovernmental organi- 16 zations, and international non-governmental organi- 17 zat [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]