Affirming the importance of access to safe, quality education, including protection from attacks on education, for children in conflict settings.

IV 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. RES. 277 Affirming the importance of access to safe, quality education, including protection from attacks on education, for children in conflict settings. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES APRIL 1, 2019 Mrs. LOWEY (for herself and Mr. CHABOT) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs RESOLUTION Affirming the importance of access to safe, quality education, including protection from attacks on education, for chil- dren in conflict settings. Whereas providing children with education is critical to the international, humanitarian, and development efforts of the United States; Whereas 142,000,000 children live in high-intensity conflict zones, according to a February 2019 report from Save the Children; Whereas grave violations against children, which are defined by the United Nations Security Council as the killing and maiming of children, recruitment or use of children as soldiers, sexual violence against children, abduction of children, and attacks against schools or hospitals, have nearly tripled since 2010; VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:57 Apr 01, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR277.IH HR277 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 2 •HRES 277 IH Whereas attacks on education settings, including targeted killings, sexual and gender-based violence, abduction, child recruitment, intimidation, threats, military occupa- tion, and destruction of property, are common tactics in conflict; Whereas there were 1,432 verified attacks on schools in con- flict contexts in 2017, according to the United Nations Secretary General’s annual report on children and armed conflict; Whereas conflict limits educational opportunities for millions of students worldwide, and regions with low rates of edu- cation have a 50-percent chance of experiencing conflict; Whereas 27,000,000 children of primary and lower secondary school age are out of school in 24 conflict-affected coun- tries, and refugee children are 5 times more likely to be out of school as compared to nonrefugee children; Whereas only 61 percent of refugee children attend primary school compared to 92 percent of nonrefugee children, only 23 percent of refugee adolescents attend secondary school compared to 84 percent globally, and only 1 per- cent of refugee children make it to a university; Whereas education in emergencies is lifesaving, providing ac- cess to critical services, including nutrition, health serv- ices, mental health and psychosocial support, water, sani- tation, and hygiene; Whereas education supports children’s safety and well-being as part of child protection strategies; Whereas education accounts for less than 2 percent of total global humanitarian funding and child-specific protection programs account for 0.53 percent; VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:57 Apr 01, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR277.IH HR277 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 3 •HRES 277 IH Whereas girls and boys experience conflict differently, en- counter distinct gender-related barriers to education, and require gender-responsive and context-specific approaches to education, child protection, and health services, includ- ing mental health and psychosocial support programming; Whereas girls, children with disabilities, and those impacted by traumatic experiences living in conflict contexts face significant barriers to access, enrollment, and attendance in schools; Whereas access to quality educational opportunities can con- tribute to peace and security as well as mitigate factors that lead to conflict and displacement; and Whereas Congress passed the Reinforcing Education Ac- countability in Development Act (Public Law 115–56), and the Protecting Girls’ Access to Education in Vulner- able Settings Act (Public Law 115–442), which recognize the importance of education in crisis and conflict situa- tions, and require reporting on progress toward a com- prehensive United States strategy to promote quality basic education in partner countries and address the needs of displaced girls: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 (1) condemns attacks on education settings, in- 2 cluding violence against schools, the military use of 3 schools, acts of sexual violence against children in 4 school settings, and the abduction and recruitment 5 of children into armed forces from schools; 6 (2) affirms the commitment of the United 7 States Government to support educational services 8 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:57 Apr 01, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR277.IH HR277 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 4 •HRES 277 IH for children affected by conflict, including the most 1 vulnerable and marginalized, beginning in the ear- 2 liest phases of humanitarian response efforts— 3 (A) to save lives and facilitate access to 4 critical services, including nutrition, health, psy- 5 chosocial support, water, sanitation, and hy- 6 giene; 7 (B) to support physical, psychosocial, and 8 cognitive protection; and 9 (C) to support greater short- and long- 10 term stability, promote peace, and support the 11 vital contributions of women and girls to com- 12 munities, nations, and regions around the 13 world; and 14 (3) calls on the United States Government— 15 (A) to monitor attacks on education set- 16 tings, including attacks on schools, teachers, 17 and students, and attacks that are gender-re- 18 lated, and to use that information to support 19 effective and coordinated diplomatic and pro- 20 grammatic responses; 21 (B) to hold accountable all parties, includ- 22 ing government and non-state actors, respon- 23 sible for attacks on schools and other grave vio- 24 lations against children in armed conflict; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:57 Apr 01, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR277.IH HR277 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 5 •HRES 277 IH (C) to support policies and programs to re- 1 turn refugee children to educational settings as 2 soon as possible upon arrival in a host country; 3 (D) to provide support for the inclusion of 4 refugee children in host country national edu- 5 cation plans and systems whenever possible; 6 (E) to recognize that education in emer- 7 gencies and child protection programs are life- 8 saving and complementary efforts that are 9 strongest when equally supported; 10 (F) to ensure that marginalized children in 11 conflict settings, especially girls, children with 12 disabilities, those suffering from trauma, and 13 those excluded from access to quality and inclu- 14 sive education due to other causes, are able to 15 access safe, quality education; 16 (G) to ensure appropriate training and 17 support for teachers to best support students’ 18 distinct needs, including their psychosocial well- 19 being, and to apply conflict-sensitive and gen- 20 der-responsive approaches; 21 (H) to encourage the inclusion of child 22 protection experts in peacekeeping missions, to 23 push for reporting requirements on attacks on 24 schools and children in peacekeeping mandates, 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:57 Apr 01, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR277.IH HR277 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 6 •HRES 277 IH and to support the inclusion of child rights ex- 1 perts in justice and accountability mechanisms; 2 (I) to support preventative measures, such 3 as early warning systems and rapid response 4 mechanisms, in places where attacks on edu- 5 cation occur or are highly likely to occur; and 6 (J) to work in collaboration with civil soci- 7 ety experts to better prevent and respond to at- 8 tacks on education, and with relevant multilat- 9 eral institutions and other nations to share re- 10 sponsibility for monitoring, preventing, and re- 11 sponding to attacks on education. 12 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:57 Apr 01, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR277.IH HR277 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS