Women and Countering Violent Extremism Act of 2019

I 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 1653 To ensure that the United States recognizes women’s varied roles in all aspects of violent extremism and terrorism and promotes their meaningful participation as full partners in all efforts to prevent and counter violent extremism and terrorism, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MARCH 8, 2019 Ms. FRANKEL (for herself, Mr. CHABOT, Mr. KEATING, Mr. WILSON of South Carolina, Ms. SPANBERGER, Mr. ZELDIN, Ms. MENG, Ms. HOULAHAN, Mr. COHEN, and Mr. FITZPATRICK) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently deter- mined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned A BILL To ensure that the United States recognizes women’s varied roles in all aspects of violent extremism and terrorism and promotes their meaningful participation as full part- ners in all efforts to prevent and counter violent extre- mism and terrorism, 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 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Women and Coun- 4 tering Violent Extremism Act of 2019’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:54 Mar 22, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1653.IH H1653 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 2 •HR 1653 IH SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 1 Congress finds the following: 2 (1) Women play diverse roles in violent extrem- 3 ist organizations, including as victims, perpetrators, 4 and preventers. 5 (2) Extremist groups benefit strategically and 6 financially from the subjugation of women. Terrorist 7 groups violate the rights of women and girls, from 8 sexual enslavement and forced marriages to limiting 9 their access to education and public life. Violent ex- 10 tremist groups have used women and girls as re- 11 wards for new recruits and as part of their recruit- 12 ment efforts. According to the 2016 U.S. State De- 13 partment’s Country Reports on Terrorism, ‘‘In 2015 14 and 2016, ISIS abducted, systematically raped, and 15 abused thousands of women and children [in Iraq 16 and Syria], some as young as eight years of age. 17 Women and children were sold and enslaved, distrib- 18 uted to ISIS fighters as spoils of war, forced into 19 marriage and domestic servitude, or subjected to 20 physical and sexual abuse.’’. In northern Nigeria, 21 Boko Haram has kidnapped and subjected thou- 22 sands of women and girls to physical abuse, forced 23 labor, forced marriage and sexual abuse. 24 (3) As perpetrators of violent extremism and 25 terrorism, women adopt all roles, including as in- 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:54 Mar 22, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1653.IH H1653 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 3 •HR 1653 IH formants, facilitators, recruiters, and suicide bomb- 1 ers. Empowering women may diminish their support 2 for violent extremist organizations by increasing 3 their sense of agency. 4 (4) Seeing women as partners empowers them 5 to detect early signs of radicalization, intervening 6 before individuals become violent and delegitimizing 7 violent extremist narratives. Analysis by the Council 8 on Foreign Relations concluded that, ‘‘Anti-ter- 9 rorism messages are disseminated quite effectively 10 throughout families and communities by women, who 11 can challenge extremist narratives in homes, schools 12 and social environments, and have particular influ- 13 ence among youth populations.’’. 14 (5) Extremist groups take strategic advantage 15 of the relative absence of women in police and mili- 16 tary forces. As security officials, women provide dis- 17 tinct insights, information, and analyses that can be 18 mission-critical in keeping the peace. They may have 19 access to populations and sites that men do not, al- 20 lowing them to gather critical intelligence about po- 21 tential security threats. 22 (6) Research has demonstrated a relationship 23 between the security of women and the security of 24 states. According to a Texas A&M study, less em- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:54 Mar 22, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1653.IH H1653 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 4 •HR 1653 IH powerment for women in the household correlates 1 with less stability nationwide, measured by political 2 instability, lack of freedoms, autocracy, corruption, 3 and internal conflict. Countries where women are 4 less empowered at the household level are also more 5 likely to produce foreign fighters going to territory 6 controlled by terrorist organizations. 7 (7) Counterterrorism policy has not been as ef- 8 fective at understanding how women can improve se- 9 curity efforts. According to the June 2016 U.S. Na- 10 tional Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security, 11 ‘‘A narrow understanding of women’s roles in CVE 12 [countering violent extremism] limits policy options 13 and perpetuates strategic blind spots, such as failing 14 to recognize women’s agency as potential mitigators 15 and perpetrators of violence.’’. 16 (8) According to a 2015 United States Agency 17 for International Development study of women’s 18 participation in violent extremism, there has been ‘‘a 19 marked gap in CVE [countering violent extremism] 20 programming, which has focused mostly on male 21 participation, without a commensurate reflection on 22 and response to female-specific drivers and recruit- 23 ment strategies.’’. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:54 Mar 22, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1653.IH H1653 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 5 •HR 1653 IH (9) The ‘‘Department of State & USAID Joint 1 Strategy on Countering Violent Extremism’’, dated 2 May 2016, notes that ‘‘women can play a critical 3 role in identifying and addressing drivers of violent 4 extremism in their families, communities, and broad- 5 er society’’; and commits to supporting programs 6 that engage women ‘‘as key stakeholders in pre- 7 venting and countering violent extremism in their 8 communities’’. Women are on the front lines of ob- 9 serving and countering extremist violence, including 10 as police officers engaging with local communities to 11 prevent violent extremism, imams and other religious 12 leaders preaching religious tolerance, and as those 13 countering efforts to radicalize their husbands, chil- 14 dren, and communities. 15 (10) The Women, Peace, and Security Act of 16 2017 (Public Law 115–68) established that ‘‘Women 17 in conflict-affected regions have achieved significant 18 success in moderating violent extremism [and] coun- 19 tering terrorism.’’. 20 (11) The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 21 2017 (Public Law 115–31) required the creation of 22 a comprehensive, inter-agency United States Govern- 23 ment strategy to support women and girls at risk 24 from extremism and conflict. Congress has also allo- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:54 Mar 22, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1653.IH H1653 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 6 •HR 1653 IH cated $45,000,000 to support women and girls at 1 risk from extremism and conflict. 2 SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 3 It shall be the policy of the United States to recognize 4 women’s varied roles in all aspects of violent extremism 5 and terrorism, including as victims, perpetrators, and pre- 6 venters, and to promote the meaningful participation of 7 women as full partners in all efforts to prevent and 8 counter violent extremism and terrorism. 9 SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF ASSISTANCE TO WOMEN-LED 10 AND WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT ORGANIZA- 11 TIONS. 12 The President is authorized to provide assistance to 13 non-United States-based women-led and women’s em- 14 powerment organizations in foreign countries working on 15 countering violent extremism and terrorism in such coun- 16 tries, including for the following purposes: 17 (1) Supporting capacity-building efforts of such 18 organizations and of women preventing and coun- 19 tering violent extremism and terrorism, including in 20 the use of conflict analysis tools and methodologies. 21 (2) Ensuring representation of women in work- 22 ing groups and initiatives discussing countering vio- 23 lent extremism and terrorism policies, strategies, 24 and analyses, and seeking the input of such working 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:54 Mar 22, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1653.IH H1653 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 7 •HR 1653 IH groups and initiatives in the design of countering 1 violent extremism and terrorism programs, including 2 policies and programs led by the security sector. 3 (3) Supporting projects that advance efforts to 4 prevent or counter violent extremism and terrorism. 5 (4) Encouraging national, regional, and local 6 platforms for information exchange between female 7 activists from countries facing violent extremism or 8 terrorism so they can share experiences and learn 9 best practices. 10 SEC. 5. WOMEN, PEACE, AND SECURITY STRATEGY. 11 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subsection (a) of section 5 of the 12 Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2017 (22 U.S.C. 13 2152j–1; Public Law 115–68) is amended— 14 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘and’’ after 15 the semicolon at the end; 16 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking the period at 17 the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 18 (3) by adding at the end the following new 19 paragraph: 20 ‘‘(3) include a section on countering violent ex- 21 tremism and terrorism that addresses— 22 ‘‘(A) women’s contributions to preventing 23 and countering violent extremism and ter- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:54 Mar 22, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1653.IH H1653 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 8 •HR 1653 IH rorism, including through their community, reli- 1 gious, and security roles; 2 ‘‘(B) preventing, detecting, and countering 3 women’s involvement in violent extremism and 4 terrorism, including their roles as informants, 5 facilitators, recruiters, and suicide bombers; 6 ‘‘(C) how violent extremist and terrorist 7 groups target women and infringe on their 8 rights and safety, and on the broader relation- 9 ship between gender-based violence and extre- 10 mism and terrorism; 11 ‘‘(D) the gender dimensions of disar- 12 mament, demobilization, and reintegration ac- 13 tivities, including women’s positive engagement 14 and participation in such efforts and the disar- 15 mament of women combatants; and 16 ‘‘(E) such other considerations as are de- 17 termined appropriate by the President.’’. 18 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 19 subsection (a) of this section shall take effect on the date 20 of the enactment of this section and apply beginning with 21 the first Women, Peace, and Security Strategy that is re- 22 quired to be submitted pursuant to section 5 of the 23 Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2017 after such date 24 of enactment. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:54 Mar 22, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1653.IH H1653 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 9 •HR 1653 IH SEC. 6. WOMEN AND GIRLS AT RISK FROM VIOLENT EXTRE- 1 MISM AND CONFLICT STRATEGY. 2 Paragraph (2) of section 7059(e) of the Department 3 of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Ap- 4 propriations Act, 2017 (division J of Public Law 115–31; 5 relating to the strategy to support women and girls who 6 are at risk from extremism and conflict) is amended by 7 inserting ‘‘and every four years thereafter’’ after ‘‘Act’’. 8 SEC. 7. TRAINING FOR UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT OFFI- 9 CIALS. 10 Section 6 of the Women, Peace, and Security Act of 11 2017 (22 U.S.C. 2152j–2; Public Law 115–68) is amend- 12 ed— 13 (1) in subsection (a), by adding at the end the 14 following new paragraph: 15 ‘‘(4) Preventing and countering violent extre- 16 mism and terrorism.’’; and 17 (2) in subsection (b)(1), by inserting ‘‘pre- 18 venting and countering violent extremism,’’ after 19 ‘‘resolution,’’. 20 SEC. 8. TRAINING PROVIDED BY THE UNITED STATES GOV- 21 ERNMENT. 22 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State shall seek 23 to increase the participation of women receiving training 24 under the Department of State’s Anti-Terrorism Assist- 25 ance (ATA) programs, with the goal of doubling by the 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:54 Mar 22, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1653.IH H1653 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 10 •HR 1653 IH date that is three years after the date of the enactment 1 of this Act the total number of women receiving such 2 training as of such date of enactment. 3 (b) ANTITERRORISM ASSISTANCE.—Section 572 of 4 the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2349aa– 5 1) is amended— 6 (1) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘and’’ after 7 the semicolon at the end; 8 (2) in paragraph (3), by striking the period at 9 the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 10 (3) by adding at the end the following new 11 paragraph: 12 ‘‘(4) to encourage foreign countries to include 13 women participating in such activities.’’. 14 SEC. 9. RESEARCH. 15 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense, Sec- 16 retary of State, and the Administrator of the United 17 States Agency for International Development, in consulta- 18 tion with the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Di- 19 rector of National Intelligence, shall conduct research on 20 gender and countering violent extremism and terrorism, 21 such as on the following: 22 (1) The root and proximate causes of women’s 23 and men’s participation in terrorist and violent ex- 24 tremist organizations. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:54 Mar 22, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1653.IH H1653 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 11 •HR 1653 IH (2) How both violent extremism and countering 1 violent extremism differently impact women and 2 girls versus men and boys. 3 (3) Ways to engage women and girls who are 4 vulnerable to extremist and terrorist behavior. 5 (4) Ways women and girls can assist in identi- 6 fying individuals of concern. 7 (5) The intersection of violent extremism and 8 terrorism and the following: 9 (A) Gender-based violence. 10 (B) Women’s empowerment at the house- 11 hold level, such as property and inheritance 12 rights, bride-price and dowry, and the level of 13 societal sanction for the killing or harming of 14 women. 15 (C) Adolescent girls’ empowerment, such 16 as the level of early, child, and forced marriage, 17 and of girls’ access to secondary education. 18 (6) Best practices to support women preventing 19 and countering violent extremism and terrorism. 20 (b) UTILIZATION.—The Secretary of Defense, Sec- 21 retary of State, and the [Text truncated for display. 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