,i #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #djib ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,july #cj1 #bjai,ms4 ,meng 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,stewart1 ,ms4 ,frankel1 ,mr4 ,diaz-,balart1 and ,ms4 ,houlahan7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs ,a ,,bill ,to improve ,united ,states consideration of1 and strategic support for1 programs to prevent and respond to gender-based violence from the onset of humanitarian emergencies and build the capacity of humanitarian assistance to address the immediate and long-term challenges resulting from such violence1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,safe from the ,start ,act of #bjai4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,displaced1 refugee1 and stateless women and girls in humanitarian emergencies1 conflict settings1 and natural disasters face extreme violence and threats1 including-- 7,a7 rape and sexual assault2 7,b7 domestic or intimate partner violence2 7,c7 child1 early1 and forced marriage2 7,d7 trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation and forced labor2 7,e7 harmful traditional practices such as female genital mutilation or cutting2 and 7,f7 harassment1 exploitation1 and abuse by humanitarian personnel4 7#b7 ,gender-based violence is known to increase during humanitarian emergencies4 ,violent acts such as intimate partner violence and child marriage that take place during times of stability are often exacerbated during times of crisis4 7#c7 ,nearly one in five women report experiencing sexual violence during a humanitarian emergency4 ,for example1 according to the ,united ,nations ,organization ,stabilization ,mission in the ,democratic ,republic of the ,congo1 there was an increase of #ef percent in reported cases of conflict-related sexual violence between #bjaf and #bjag4 7#d7 ,intimate partner violence is pervasive and becomes increasingly common during times of conflict and crisis4 ,residence in a conflict-affected district is associated with a #ej-percent increase in risk of intimate partner violence1 and women who have experienced #d-e cumulative years of conflict are almost #ij percent more likely to experience such violence than women who are not living in conflict settings4 7#e7 ,child1 early1 and forced marriages increase during humanitarian crises as tools of last resort to cope with economic hardship and to protect girls from increased violence4 ,conflict can exacerbate cultural norms of child1 early1 and forced marriage or create harmful cultural behaviors where they had not previously existed4 7#f7 ,women and girls are especially vulnerable to trafficking during humanitarian crises1 particularly by non-,state armed groups who abduct and traffic women and girls for sexual exploitation1 domestic servitude1 and child1 early1 and forced marriage1 among other forms of exploitation4 7#g7 ,crises create markets for exploitative services that are too frequently abused by aid workers and peacekeepers1 who seek sexual services from displaced or vulnerable people4 ,in #bjah1 the ,united ,nations received a total of #adh sexual exploitation and abuse allegations directly involving ,united ,nations aid workers1 and #aaa involving staff from partner organizations implementing ,united ,nations programs4 7#h7 ,according to ,united ,nations ,high ,commissioner for ,refugees1 marginalized populations are particularly at risk of gender-based violence in humanitarian crises1 including adolescent girls1 older persons1 persons with disabilities1 sexual and gender minorities1 and female heads of households4 7#i7 ,gender-based violence is under-reported1 both in times of stability and during crises4 ,while data may not be immediately available in each crisis or conflict1 evidence shows that gender-based violence is consistently a major and pressing concern for women and girls facing humanitarian emergency contexts and should be assumed to be a protection concern in all humanitarian planning and risk assessment4 7#aj7 ,men and boys play a critical role in preventing gender-based violence1 and engaging them alongside women and girls in the transformation of gender roles that lead to increased rates of gender-based violence at the onset of emergencies leads to lasting results4 7#aa7 ,survivors of gender-based violence and their families in humanitarian emergencies require immediate1 life-saving assistance1 including post-rape care or access to other comprehensive medical and psychosocial services1 to address the physical1 psychological1 and social impacts of gender-based violence4 ,they also require long-term support such as opportunities to earn livelihoods1 build skills or receive an education1 and access to justice and community-level reintegration4 ,early medical interventions after incidents of rape can help to prevent infections1 ,,hiv1 and pregnancy4 7#ab7 ,empowering women to assume leadership roles in delivering humanitarian response and meaningfully engaging local organizations1 including women's rights1 humanitarian1 advocacy1 and service-provider organizations1 through training and directed resources to operate in emergency settings and provide life-saving assistance is critical to supporting survivors or those at risk of gender-based violence4 7#ac7 ,the international community has prioritized addressing the issue of gender-based violence in humanitarian contexts by launching a ,global ,call to ,action on ,protection from ,gender-,based ,violence in ,emergencies in #bjac1 which the ,united ,states operationalized through establishing a ,safe from the ,start initiative1 implemented by the ,department of ,state and the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development4 7#ad7 ,safe from the ,start aimed to prevent and respond to gender-based violence at the onset of an emergency and to provide resources to strengthen the core capacity of humanitarian assistance implementers to address gender-based violence at the earliest phases of an emergency1 including through developing training1 guidelines1 toolkits1 and other resources to guide operations4 7#ae7 ,the ,women's ,entrepreneurship and ,economic ,empowerment ,act 7,public ,law #aae-dbh7 requires the ,united ,states to strive to eliminate gender-based violence and mitigate its harmful effects on individuals and communities in its development cooperation policy4 ,recognizing the need to prevent and respond to gender-based violence globally1 ,congress has appropriated #aej1jjj1jjj annually from fiscal ,years #bjac-bjai for this purpose4 7#af7 ,the ,united ,states has further committed to prevention and response to gender-based violence globally through the interagency ,united ,states ,strategy to ,prevent and ,respond to ,gender-,based ,violence ,globally1 the ,national ,action ,plan on ,women1 ,peace1 and ,security1 the ,u4,s4 ,global ,strategy to ,empower ,adolescent ,girls1 ,u4,s4 ,strategy to ,support ,women and ,girls at ,risk from ,extremism and ,conflict1 and the ,u4,s4 ,government ,strategy on ,advancing ,protection and ,care for ,children in ,adversity4 #c4 ,statement of policy ,it is the policy of the ,united ,states-- 7#a7 to take effective action to prevent1 mitigate1 and respond to gender-based violence in humanitarian emergencies around the world to promote respect for basic human rights and gender equality1 economic growth1 improved public health1 and peace and stability2 7#b7 to systematically integrate and coordinate efforts to prevent and respond to gender-based violence in ,united ,states foreign policy and foreign assistance programs1 including conflict prevention1 humanitarian relief and recovery1 and peace-building efforts2 7#c7 to promote accountability and access to justice for acts of gender-based violence2 7#d7 to build local capacity in countries responding to humanitarian crises1 including the capacity of governments at all levels and nongovernmental organizations1 especially women-led organizations1 to prevent1 mitigate1 and respond to gender-based violence2 7#e7 to consult1 cooperate1 coordinate1 and collaborate with a wide variety of nongovernmental partners and international organizations1 including women-led organizations1 when designing and implementing humanitarian response programs2 7#f7 to support activities that prevent and mitigate the impacts of gender-based violence in humanitarian settings and that empower survivors or those at risk of gender-based violence1 including through economic opportunities1 access to education and skills building1 and promotion of women's leadership and participation in humanitarian response2 7#g7 to ensure that international organizations and nongovernmental organizations receiving funding from the ,united ,states have the capacity and internal protocols to identify gender-based violence1 including sexual exploitation and abuse committed by humanitarian personnel1 integrate gender-based violence prevention and response initiatives into policies and programs1 and report regularly on efforts to prevent and respond to gender-based violence2 7#h7 to employ a multisectoral approach to preventing and responding to gender-based violence globally1 including through activities in the economic1 education1 health1 protection1 nutrition1 and legal sectors2 7#i7 to ensure protection against sexual exploitation and abuse by and against humanitarian actors2 and 7#aj7 to include the active leadership and participation of women and girls in humanitarian program design1 implementation1 and evaluation4 #d4 ,safe from the ,start authority 7a7 ,safe from the ,start programming ,the ,secretary of ,state1 in consultation with the ,assistant ,secretary of the ,bureau of ,population1 ,refugees1 and ,migration and in coordination with the ,administrator of the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development 7in consultation with the ,director of the ,office of ,foreign ,disaster ,assistance71 shall direct and oversee all ,united ,states foreign assistance that addresses humanitarian crises in a manner that implements a ,safe from the ,start programming focus on the following objectives3 7#a7 ,preventing and reducing the incidence of gender-based violence4 7#b7 ,ensuring quality protection for survivors of such crises beginning with the onset of the emergency through timely and effective action4 7#c7 ,promoting standards and activities to prevent1 mitigate1 and respond to gender-based violence4 7#d7 ,advance the empowerment of survivors and individuals at risk of gender-based violence4 7b7 ,standards and guidelines ,the ,secretary shall develop guidelines1 toolkits1 reporting mechanisms1 and other institutional response and accountability measures through the ,safe from the ,start programming described in subsection 7a7 in order to incorporate effective gender-based violence prevention and response activities across all humanitarian assistance programs and projects1 including through-- 7#a7 the promotion of minimum standards1 indicators1 and metrics to assess the adequacy of interventions relating to gender-based violence1 taking into consideration the ,guidelines for ,integrating ,gender-,based ,violence ,interventions in ,humanitarian ,action published by the ,united ,nations ,inter-,agency ,standing ,council in #bjae1 the assessment released by the ,real-,time ,accountability ,partnership on ,gender-,based ,violence in ,emergencies in #bjaf1 and the ,minimum ,standards for ,child ,protection in ,humanitarian ,action published by the non-profit organization ,sphere in #bjab2 7#b7 the establishment and implementation1 in coordination with international organizations and nongovernmental organizations1 of standards1 protocols1 and accountability mechanisms for preventing and addressing sexual or other gender-based exploitation or abuse perpetrated by personnel delivering humanitarian assistance2 and 7#c7 the development of monitoring tools across all humanitarian assistance programming to standardize monitoring and accountability relating to gender-based violence prevention and response4 7c7 ,improvement of protection mechanisms ,the ,secretary shall improve the delivery and quality of ,united ,states assistance to protect survivors of gender-based violence1 through the ,safe from the ,start programming described in subsection 7a71 by improving activities in the following areas3 7#a7 ,access to and quality of comprehensive medical services for survivors and at-risk populations in line with international standards1 including-- 7,a7 post-rape and post-sexual assault medical care2 7,b7 psycho-social and mental health services2 and 7,c7 hygiene and dignity kits4 7#b7 ,service delivery to hard-to-reach populations1 prioritizing services that reach-- 7,a7 shelters for survivors of natural disasters2 7,b7 internally displaced person camps2 7,c7 active conflict zones2 and 7,d7 refugees living in urban areas4 7d7 ,authorization of assistance to local actors ,the ,secretary of ,state is authorized to provide assistance to organizations based outside the ,united ,states who are working to provide humanitarian relief in affected regions or countries1 prioritizing such organizations that are led by refugees or displaced or stateless women and youth1 through ,safe from the ,start programming in accordance with subsection 7a7 for the following purposes3 7#a7 ,building capacity to identify1 prevent1 and address gender-based violence in humanitarian settings and to support survivors and those at risk1 including through training and deploying female humanitarian aid workers4 7#b7 ,promoting women's leadership and participation in the design1 implementation1 and evaluation of humanitarian responses4 7#c7 ,developing safe spaces for meaningful dialogue1 psycho-social interventions1 and culturally-specific support4 7#d7 ,developing technical skills for advocacy1 monitoring1 data collection1 evaluation1 and communications4 7#e7 ,performing on-the-ground gender analyses and otherwise rapidly assessing and communicating the needs of women1 girls1 and other populations that are vulnerable to gender-based violence in crises4 7e7 ,authorization of assistance to international nongovernmental organizations ,the ,secretary of ,state is authorized to provide support to enhance the capacity of international nongovernmental organizations to achieve the following3 7#a7 ,improving technical expertise and availability of dedicated gender advisors to prevent and respond to gender-based violence in humanitarian settings through the ,gender ,based ,violence ,area of ,responsibility forum and across sectors of humanitarian action1 including through training and sensitization of humanitarian aid workers on identification of and care for survivors of gender-based violence4 7#b7 ,promoting supportive partnerships with local humanitarian actors and nongovernmental organizations1 including for women's leadership and participation in humanitarian response4 7#c7 ,increasing and improving empowerment activities1 including women's and girls' access to economic opportunities and livelihoods1 education and skills1 and leadership roles4 7#d7 ,training for international development implementers during the onset and transformation of a humanitarian crisis so that such implementers are equipped to continue relief1 recovery1 and reconstruction work that is sensitive to the prevention and mitigation of gender-based violence after the immediate humanitarian engagement has finished4 #e4 ,safeguarding against sexual exploitation or abuse by humanitarian personnel ,in accordance with the ,safe from the ,start programming focus described in subsection 7a71 the ,secretary of ,state and the ,administrator of the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development shall prioritize support for activities ensuring that employees and contractors of the ,agency delivering ,united ,states humanitarian assistance are equipped to prevent sexual exploitation and abuse in settings of humanitarian aid delivery1 including by strengthening guidelines1 training1 reporting mechanisms and remedies1 and other appropriate responses4 ,such activities shall include efforts to-- 7#a7 recognize the indicators of sexual exploitation or abuse among refugee1 displaced1 or stateless populations by humanitarian aid workers2 and 7#b7 identify and address risks within the humanitarian aid context that create vulnerabilities for sexual and other exploitation1 perpetrated by or against humanitarian aid workers4 #f4 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for each fiscal year to carry out this ,act but not less than the amount expended in fiscal year #bjah to carry out the ,safe from the ,start program of the ,department of ,state4 #g4 ,reports required 7a7 ,progress report 7#a7 ,in general ,not later than #a year after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 and annually thereafter1 the ,secretary of ,state1 in coordination with the ,administrator of the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development1 shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the progress made by the ,united ,states and by partners in the implementation or delivery of humanitarian assistance1 including international organizations1 to prevent1 mitigate1 and address the incidence of gender-based violence in humanitarian emergencies4 7#b7 ,elements ,the report required by paragraph 7#a7 shall include each of the following3 7,a7 ,an aggregation and examination of data and research regarding the key drivers of gender-based violence in humanitarian emergencies1 the critical needs of and services required by survivors or those at risk1 and successful program models to address1 prevent1 and mitigate such violence4 7,b7 ,a detailed description of the programs1 diplomatic efforts1 and other activities undertaken by the ,united ,states to implement the ,safe from the ,start programming focus described in section #d7;a7 of this ,act1 including specific descriptions of-- 7i7 the steps taken to integrate prevention1 mitigation1 and response to gender-based violence into humanitarian assistance1 development of humanitarian standards1 and responses to specific humanitarian crises2 7ii7 the progress made1 as of the date of the submission of the report1 toward achieving specific objectives1 metrics1 and indicators for implementation of ,safe from the ,start programming1 disaggregated1 where appropriate1 by gender1 age1 and type of violence2 7iii7 a list of the projects funded or supported through the ,safe from the ,start programming focus1 with specific details on levels of funding or assistance and impacts of such projects disaggregated1 where appropriate1 by gender1 age1 and type of violence2 7iv7 an assessment of the extent to which consultations with nongovernmental organizations1 including local actors1 and intergovernmental actors have led to the development of programs1 standards1 and interventions to combat gender-based violence 7v7 a list of the policies or programs implemented by international or multilateral organizations receiving funding from the ,united ,states ,government to improve capacity and internal protocols to identify signs of gender-based violence1 including sexual exploitation and abuse1 and integrate initiatives to prevent and respond to gender-based violence into all programs of the organization2 and 7vi7 a description of any diplomatic action taken bilaterally1 multilaterally1 or with international organizations to encourage the governments of other countries and international organizations to adopt policies to prevent and respond to gender-based violence in emergency situations1 including any diplomatic efforts to strengthen the ,global ,call to ,action on ,protection from ,gender-,based ,violence in ,emergencies by increasing the number of governments participating in and contributing to its gender-based violence prevention and response activities4 7#c7 ,consultation required ,in developing the report required by paragraph 7#a71 the ,secretary of ,state shall consult with the ,assistant ,secretary for ,population1 ,refugees1 and ,migration of the ,department of ,state and the ,associate ,administrator for ,humanitarian ,assistance of the ,agency for ,international ,development4 7#d7 ,form ,the report required by paragraph 7#a7 shall be submitted in unclassified form but may include a classified annex4 ,the unclassified portion of such report shall concurrently be published on a publicly available website of the ,department of ,state4 7b7 ,budget report ,not later than #abj days after the submission of each budget submitted to ,congress by the ,president under section #aaje7;a7 of title #ca1 ,united ,states ,code1 after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,director of the ,office of ,management and ,budget shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a budget crosscut report that-- 7#a7 displays the budget proposed1 including any planned interagency or intra-agency transfer1 for each of the principal ,federal agencies that will be carrying out activities through the ,safe from the ,start programming focus described in section #d7;a7 of this ,act in the fiscal year for which such budget is submitted2 7#b7 separately reports the amount of funding to be provided pertaining to the ,safe from the ,start strategy under subsection 7a71 to the extent such plans are available2 and 7#c7 to the extent practicable1 identifies all assistance and research expenditures at the account level in each of the five previous fiscal years by the ,federal ,government using ,federal funds for ,safe from the ,start activities4 7c7 ,appropriate congressional committees defined ,in this section1 the term appropriate congressional committees means-- 7#a7 the ,committee on ,appropriations and the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives2 and 7#b7 the ,committee on ,appropriations and the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations of the ,senate4