What This Bill Does
This bill requires the United States government to support women's human rights and leadership when it carries out activities in South Sudan related to governance, rebuilding after conflict, development, and help for refugees. The bill makes sure that U.S. activities in these areas include women's perspectives and promote women's participation in decision-making and leadership positions.
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Who It Affects
- The President and executive branch agencies carrying out programs in South Sudan
- Women and girls in South Sudan
- South Sudanese women's organizations and leaders
- U.S. organizations receiving funding for South Sudan activities
- South Sudan's government, military, and police forces
- Refugees and internally displaced persons in South Sudan (people forced to leave their homes but still in the country)
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Key Provisions
- The U.S. must include advice from South Sudanese women's organizations and leaders when making decisions about South Sudan's government and must work to get a significant number of women into the National Legislature. (Sec. 3(b))
- The U.S. must channel a significant portion of development and relief assistance to South Sudanese women's organizations and provide them with training, technical help, and money to build their capacity (ability to do their work). (Sec. 3(c)(1))
- The U.S. must provide direct financial help to South Sudan's Ministry of Women's Affairs adequate to allow it to do its job. (Sec. 3(c)(3))
- Training for South Sudan's military and police must include education about protecting women's rights and must emphasize that violations of women's rights cannot be tolerated and should be prosecuted. (Sec. 3(d))
- The U.S. must ensure that women refugees receive food, shelter, and medical services directly and must protect women and children in refugee camps from sexual exploitation. (Sec. 3(e))
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What Changes
If this bill becomes law, all U.S. government activities in South Sudan related to governance, rebuilding, development, and refugee assistance must follow new requirements focused on women's rights and leadership. The President must report to Congress every year on progress in meeting these requirements, with all information separated by sex.
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Important Definitions
- **Internally displaced persons**: People forced to leave their homes due to conflict but still living in their country
- **Maternal mortality rate**: The number of women who die from pregnancy or childbirth complications per 100,000 live births
- **Post-conflict reconstruction and development**: Rebuilding and improving a country after armed conflict ends
- **Repatriation**: The process of returning people to their home country
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Effective Date
Not specified in bill text
I
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 242
To require that activities carried out by the United States in South Sudan
relating to governance, reconstruction and development, and refugee relief
and assistance support the basic human rights of women and women’s
participation and leadership in these areas.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JANUARY 10, 2023
Ms. JACKSON LEE introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Foreign Affairs
A BILL
To require that activities carried out by the United States
in South Sudan relating to governance, reconstruction
and development, and refugee relief and assistance sup-
port the basic human rights of women and women’s
participation and leadership in these areas.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
1
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
2
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
3
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Equal Rights and Ac-
4
cess for the Women of South Sudan Act’’.
5
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
6
Congress makes the following findings:
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•HR 242 IH
(1) Despite the 2011 referendum for secession
1
that established the independent state of South
2
Sudan, South Sudanese women continue to experi-
3
ence brutal violation of their human rights.
4
(2) Strong and continued United States support
5
can ensure that the advances made by South Suda-
6
nese women since July 2011 when the Republic of
7
South Sudan gained its independence will continue
8
and grow, rather than recede.
9
(3) The United States has made a substantial
10
contribution to the emergency relief and humani-
11
tarian efforts for South Sudan. Completing the
12
United States mission in South Sudan will also re-
13
quire significant and long-term investments in devel-
14
opment and reconstruction assistance.
15
(4) An inadequate healthcare system has re-
16
sulted in high maternal and infant mortality rates.
17
The maternal mortality rate is 1,054 deaths per
18
100,000 live births, making it one of the highest in
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the world.
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(5) South Sudan faces many difficulties with its
21
lack of infrastructure and lacks significant human
22
development factors, which can further marginalize
23
women.
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•HR 242 IH
(6) Over 80 percent of women and girls in
1
South Sudan are illiterate, and thus it is imperative
2
to both secure and inform women’s rights within the
3
national development.
4
(7) With the assistance of internal aid and the
5
proliferation of local women’s organizations, wom-
6
en’s equality can be integrated into South Sudan’s
7
nation-building efforts.
8
(8) South Sudan has made gains in incor-
9
porating women into the new regime with efforts
10
such as inclusion in the legislative assembly, thus
11
additional support from the United States serves to
12
reinforce these ideals and implementations.
13
(9) The women of South Sudan are taking the
14
initiative to reach across the conflict divide and fos-
15
ter peace. Women’s perspectives and experiences in
16
seeking solutions to conflicts are necessary to ensure
17
lasting peace.
18
(10) Adequate security in both urban and rural
19
areas, particularly on military borders, is essential if
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women and girls are to exercise their human rights,
21
work, attend school, and otherwise participate in and
22
benefit from humanitarian and development pro-
23
grams sponsored by the United States.
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•HR 242 IH
SEC. 3. REQUIREMENTS RELATING TO UNITED STATES AC-
1
TIVITIES RELATING TO SOUTH SUDAN.
2
(a) IN GENERAL.—Activities described in subsections
3
(b) through (e) that are carried out by the United States
4
in South Sudan shall comply with the applicable require-
5
ments contained in such subsections.
6
(b) GOVERNANCE OF SOUTH SUDAN.—With respect
7
to the governance of South Sudan, the applicable require-
8
ments are the following:
9
(1) Include the perspectives and advice from
10
South Sudanese women’s organizations, networks,
11
and leaders in United States policymaking related to
12
the governance of South Sudan.
13
(2) Promote the inclusion of a significant num-
14
ber of women in the National Legislature and future
15
legislative bodies to ensure that women’s full range
16
of human rights are included and upheld in any con-
17
stitution or legal structures of South Sudan.
18
(3) Promote the continuation and strengthening
19
of the rights of women as the South Sudan Govern-
20
ment transitions to a long-term government struc-
21
ture, and encourage the appointment of women to
22
high-level positions within South Sudanese Govern-
23
ment.
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(c) POST-CONFLICT RECONSTRUCTION AND DEVEL-
25
OPMENT.—With respect to activities relating to post-con-
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•HR 242 IH
flict stability in South Sudan, the applicable requirements
1
are the following:
2
(1) Ensure that a significant portion of United
3
States development, humanitarian, and relief assist-
4
ance is channeled to local and United States-based
5
South Sudanese organizations, particularly South
6
Sudanese women’s organizations. Provide technical
7
assistance, training, and capacity-building for local
8
organizations to ensure that United States-funded
9
efforts will be both effective and sustainable.
10
(2) Encourage United States organizations that
11
receive funds authorized by this Act to partner with
12
or create South Sudanese-led counterpart organiza-
13
tions and provide these organizations with signifi-
14
cant financial resources, technical assistance, and
15
capacity building.
16
(3) Provide direct financial and programmatic
17
assistance to the Ministry of Women’s Affairs ade-
18
quate to ensure that the Ministry is able to fulfill its
19
mandate.
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(4) Promote multiyear women-centered eco-
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nomic development programs, including programs to
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assist widows, female heads of household, women in
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rural areas, and disabled women.
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•HR 242 IH
(5) Increase women’s access to or ownership of
1
productive assets such as land, water, agricultural
2
inputs, credit, and property.
3
(6) Provide long-term financial assistance for
4
primary, secondary, higher, nontraditional, and voca-
5
tional education for South Sudanese girls, women,
6
boys, and men.
7
(7) Provide financial assistance to build the
8
health infrastructure and to deliver high-quality
9
comprehensive health care programs, including pri-
10
mary, maternal, child, reproductive, and mental
11
health care.
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(8) Integrate education and training programs
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for former combatants with economic development
14
programs to encourage their reintegration into soci-
15
ety and to promote post-conflict stability.
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(9) Provide assistance to rehabilitate children
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affected by the conflict, particularly child soldiers.
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(10) Support educational efforts to increase
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awareness with respect to landmines, facilitate the
20
removal of landmines, and provide services to indi-
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viduals with disabilities caused by landmines.
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(11) Include programs to prevent trafficking in
23
persons, assist victims, and apprehend and prosecute
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traffickers in persons.
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•HR 242 IH
(d) SOUTH SUDANESE MILITARY
AND POLICE.—
1
With respect to training for military and police forces in
2
South Sudan, the applicable requirements are the fol-
3
lowing:
4
(1) Include training on the protection, rights,
5
and the particular needs of women and emphasize
6
that violations of women’s rights are intolerable and
7
should be prosecuted.
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(2) Encourage such trainers who will carry out
9
the activities in paragraph (1) to consult with wom-
10
en’s organizations in South Sudan to ensure that
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training content and materials are adequate, appro-
12
priate, and comprehensive.
13
(e) RELIEF, RESETTLEMENT, AND REPATRIATION OF
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REFUGEES AND THE INTERNALLY DISPLACED.—With re-
15
spect to the relief, resettlement, and repatriation of refu-
16
gees and internally displaced in South Sudan, the applica-
17
ble requirements are the following:
18
(1) Take all necessary steps to ensure that
19
women refugees and internally displaced in camps,
20
urban areas, and villages are directly receiving food
21
aid, shelter, relief supplies, and other services from
22
United States-sponsored programs.
23
(2) Take all necessary steps to ensure that
24
women refugees in camps, urban areas, and villages
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•HR 242 IH
are accessing high-quality health and medical serv-
1
ices, including primary, maternal, child, and mental
2
health services.
3
(3) Take all necessary steps to ensure that
4
women and children in refugee camps are protected
5
from sexual exploitation.
6
(4) Take all necessary steps to ensure refugees
7
and internally displaced persons that seek to return
8
to their place of origin can do so voluntarily, safely,
9
and with the full protection of their rights. United
10
States-sponsored efforts shall not coerce refugees or
11
internally displaced persons to return to their places
12
of origin.
13
SEC. 4. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.
14
Not later than 60 days after the date of enactment
15
of this Act, and annually thereafter, the President shall
16
prepare and transmit to Congress a report that contains
17
documentation of the progress in implementing the re-
18
quirements of section 3. All data shall be disaggregated
19
by sex.
20
Æ
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