[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4798 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4798
To amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to update and strengthen
existing efforts to end violence against children, improve coordination
among agencies addressing this violence, and promote the use of
evidence-based strategies and critical information gathering
capabilities, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 20, 2023
Mr. McGovern (for himself, Ms. Salazar, and Mr. Fitzpatrick) introduced
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign
Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to update and strengthen
existing efforts to end violence against children, improve coordination
among agencies addressing this violence, and promote the use of
evidence-based strategies and critical information gathering
capabilities, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Strengthening Efforts to End
Violence Against Children Act of 2023''.
SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN SURVEYS.
It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) Violence Against Children Surveys (VACS) are critical
tools for realizing the objectives of the ``Advancing
Protection and Care for Children in Adversity: U.S. Government
Strategy for International Assistance, 2019-2023'' for--
(A) building strong beginnings for vulnerable
children through early childhood development
interventions;
(B) strengthening families and advancing positive
parenting; and
(C) protecting children from violence; and
(2) when leveraging the findings of a VACS, relevant
bureaus and offices should consider whether--
(A) governments have fully committed to the process
of conducting the survey;
(B) there is presence and capacity amongst partner
entities in-country to support implementation of the
survey;
(C) there is availability of funding to both
implement the survey and support Centers for Disease
Control technical assistance for implementation; and
(D) governments have expressed support for action
in response to survey findings, such as demonstrating
the ability to mobilize resources and having funding in
place for programs and services.
SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY.
It is the policy of the United States to--
(1) promote, fund, and support the protection of children
from violence, exploitation, abuse, and neglect by investing in
preventative and responsive programming care in relevant
foreign assistance programs; and
(2) rely on evidence-based, efficient, and effective
interventions in strategies and programs to support vulnerable
children, promote permanent family care, and protect children
from violence, exploitation, and abuse.
SEC. 4. ASSISTANCE FOR CHILDREN IN ADVERSITY.
Section 135 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2152f)
is amended--
(1) by adding at the end of subsection (a) the following:
``(10) Exposure to sexual, physical, and emotional
violence, particularly when such exposure is repeated or
chronic, can significantly affect a child's brain development
and function and cause life-long consequences, including poor
mental health, hindered neurological development, slowed
physical development, reduced learning, and risky health
behavior, continuing cycles of poverty, and epigenetic
consequences.
``(11) Child protection interventions can be lifesaving,
especially in such critical circumstances as humanitarian
responses, regions experiencing fragility, and conflict areas.
``(12) The Violence Against Children Surveys are critical
tools in partnering with foreign governments to analyze
violence against children and in creating action plans to
address this violence and protect vulnerable children.'';
(2) by adding at the end of subsection (b) the following:
``(6) Vulnerable children.--The term `vulnerable children'
means children who are experiencing conditions of serious
deprivation and danger, including those who--
``(A) are living outside of family care;
``(B) have been trafficked;
``(C) are experiencing violence;
``(D) are experiencing labor or sexual
exploitation;
``(E) are affected by, or are emerging from, armed
conflict or humanitarian crises;
``(F) have disabilities;
``(G) are orphans; or
``(H) are otherwise vulnerable, including because
of HIV/AIDS, acute illness, or having been born
prematurely.''; and
(3) in subsection (c)--
(A) in paragraph (6), by striking ``; and'' and
inserting a semicolon;
(B) in paragraph (7), by striking the period at the
end and inserting a semicolon; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(8) to support nurturing, protective, and permanent
family care for vulnerable children and to extend protective
services to children living outside of family care;
``(9) to promote the protection of children from violence,
exploitation, abuse, and neglect by investing in preventative
and responsive programming built upon evidence-based
strategies; and
``(10) to provide lifesaving protection and interventions
for vulnerable children in emergency settings and fragile
contexts.''.
SEC. 5. AMENDMENTS TO THE ASSISTANCE FOR ORPHANS AND OTHER VULNERABLE
CHILDREN IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES ACT.
The Assistance for Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children in
Developing Countries Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-95) is amended as
follows:
(1) In section 4 (22 U.S.C. 2152f note)--
(A) by amending subsection (a) to read as follows:
``(a) Requirement for Strategy.--
``(1) Initial submission.--Not later than 180 days after
the date of the enactment of the Strengthening Efforts to End
Violence Against Children Act of 2023, the President shall
develop and submit to the appropriate congressional committees
a strategy for coordinating, implementing, and monitoring
assistance programs for children in adversity under section 135
of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.
``(2) Comment and review.--The strategy required by
paragraph (1) shall not be implemented before the date that is
90 days after the date of the submission of the strategy.
During such 90-day period, the President shall consider and, if
appropriate, revise, such strategy in light of any comments
provided to the President by the appropriate congressional
committees.
``(3) Implementation deadline.--Subject to revisions in
accordance with paragraph (2), the President shall begin
implementation of the strategy required by paragraph (1) not
later than 150 days after the date of the submission of the
strategy.
``(4) Review of implementation.--Every 4 years, the
President shall submit to the appropriate congressional
committees--
``(A) a review of the manner and extent to which
the strategy required by paragraph (1) has been
implemented during the preceding 4 years; and
``(B) an updated strategy, incorporating the
findings of such review, for the subsequent 4 years.'';
(B) by amending subsection (b) to read as follows:
``(b) Consultation.--
``(1) In general.--The strategy described in subsection
(a)(1) shall be developed by the Special Advisor for Assistance
to Orphans and Vulnerable Children (appointed pursuant to
section 135(e)(1) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961), in
consultation with the appropriate consulting partners listed in
paragraph (2), to ensure that the strategy--
``(A) will not impede the efficiency of
implementing assistance programs for orphans and
vulnerable children;
``(B) addresses the specific needs of local
populations; and
``(C) is fully implemented.
``(2) Appropriate consulting partners.--The appropriate
consulting partners listed in this paragraph are--
``(A) relevant offices in the Department of Health
and Human Services, Department of Labor, Department of
State, PEPFAR, and the Peace Corps;
``(B) United States civil society stakeholders,
including service providers; and
``(C) employees of the field missions of the United
States Agency for International Development.''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(c) Publication.--The strategy required by subsection (a)(1) and
each review of the implementation of such strategy required by
subsection (a)(4) shall be made publicly available.''.
(2) In section 5(b) (22 U.S.C. 2152g(b))--
(A) by striking paragraph (1);
(B) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through (4) as
paragraphs (1) through (3), respectively; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(4) The activities of the United States Agency for
International Development, the Department of Health and Human
Services, the Department of Labor, the Department of State,
PEPFAR, and the Peace Corps that implement INSPIRE strategies
for ending violence against children, which include--
``(A) implementation and enforcement of law;
``(B) norms and values;
``(C) safe environments;
``(D) parent and caregiver support;
``(E) income and economic strengthening;
``(F) response and support services; and
``(G) education and life skills.
``(5) The manner and extent to which Federal departments
and agencies and partner organizations have used findings from
Violence Against Children Surveys to inform programming to
support, care for, and protect children in adversity.''.
SEC. 6. IMPACT OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON CHILDREN IN ADVERSITY.
(a) In General.--The Administrator of the United States Agency for
International Development, acting through the Special Advisor for
Children in Adversity, shall include in the first report submitted
pursuant to section 5 of the Assistance for Orphans and Other
Vulnerable Children in Developing Countries Act of 2005 (22 U.S.C.
2152g) after the date of the enactment of this Act a report on the
impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on violence against children globally.
(b) Matters To Be Included.--The report required under subsection
(a) shall also include the following elements:
(1) An assessment of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on
violence against children and child protection risks, including
domestic violence, child trafficking, child marriage, female
genital mutilation/cutting, and sexual exploitation, especially
as these forms of violence affect marginalized children and
youth, such as girls, LGBTQ children and youth, children with
disabilities, and other minority populations.
(2) An overview of programs being carried out by
participants in the Advancing Protection and Care for Children
in Adversity Interagency Working Group to continue investments
in child protection, child safeguarding, social-service
workforce strengthening, positive parenting, and family
strengthening programming during the COVID-19 pandemic,
including existing data on funding and programmatic focus
disaggregated by gender, country, income level, and disability.
(3) Descriptions of the effectiveness, cost, and
accessibility of the tools and strategies most commonly used to
minimize child protection risks and mitigate service
disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
(4) Identification of any gaps in reaching marginalized
populations with child protection information and services
during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as girls, children with
disabilities, or children affected by conflict and crisis.
(5) Descriptions of the tools and resources needed for the
Agency to contribute to long-term recovery of children's
protection and well-being in the wake of COVID-19 including
distance learning interventions, safe school reopening
guidelines, and reenrollment campaigns for out-of-school
children and youth.
(c) Form.--The report required by subsection (a) shall be submitted
in unclassified form and made available to the public.
<all>