,,iv #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,,res4 #gbc ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,november #bj1 #bjai,ms4 ,wild 7for herself1 ,ms4 ,frankel1 ,ms4 ,norton1 ,mr4 ,sensenbrenner1 ,ms4 ,velzquez1 ,mr4 ,pappas1 ,mr4 ,payne1 ,ms4 ,lee of ,california1 ,ms4 ,brownley of ,california1 ,ms4 ,houlahan1 ,mr4 ,keating1 ,mrs4 ,watson ,coleman1 ,mr4 ,ted ,lieu of ,california1 ,ms4 ,wilson of ,florida1 ,ms4 ,jackson ,lee1 ,mr4 ,trone1 ,ms4 ,escobar1 ,mrs4 ,dingell1 and ,mr4 ,costa7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs1 and in addition to the ,committee on ,education and ,labor1 for a period to be subsequently determined by the ,speaker1 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned ,,resolution ,encouraging all nations to end sexual violence against girls through in-country data-driven reforms as demonstrated by multiple ,african nations4 ,whereas the #bjjf ,united ,nations ,world ,report on ,violence ,against ,children galvanized many nations in their commitment to face the challenge of ending all violence1 including sexual violence1 against children in stating1 ,no violence is justifiable1 and all violence is preventable42 ,whereas sexual violence against girls is a domestic and international plague that spares no culture1 country1 race1 religion1 or ethnicity2 ,whereas data from ,united ,nations ,children's ,fund indicate up to #ej percent of sexual assaults worldwide are committed against girls under #af years of age2 ,whereas sexual violence against girls and the lifelong consequences impede their potential contributions to society and present a major obstacle for nations in the journey to self-reliance with political and economic stability2 ,whereas the ,african population is predicted to double by the year #bjej1 resulting in the increased potential of an estimated population of #b1ejj1jjj1jjj with more than #ej percent of the population #ah years of age or younger2 ,whereas realizing the full potential of all ,africans requires eliminating gender inequities in education2 ,whereas sexual violence against children and adolescents perpetuates intergenerational poverty through factors including increased school absenteeism1 decreased years in school1 and early childbearing2 ,whereas the economic growth of ,africa is around #c percent per year1 and #d of the top #aj countries with the fastest growing economies are on the ,african continent including ,ethiopia1 ,ghana1 ,cte d',ivoire1 and ,mozambique2 ,whereas ,africa could realize a #b percent to #b4e percent growth in the annual per capita gross domestic product through a #a-year increase in the average education attained per child2 ,whereas sexual violence during childhood is associated with serious immediate and long-term health impacts including but not limited to higher rates of pregnancy1 maternal mortality1 suicide1 depression1 substance abuse1 heart disease1 obesity1 and ,,hiv_/,,aids2 ,whereas girls ages #ae through #ai have the highest risk of experiencing sexual violence and currently account for #ge percent of new ,,hiv infections in sub-,saharan ,africa totaling #a1jjj newly infected young women each day2 ,whereas complications of pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of death among girls #ae to #ai years of age in sub-,saharan ,africa where #ij percent of adolescent pregnancies are associated with child marriage2 ,whereas female genital mutilation_/cutting 7referred to in this resolution as ,,fgm_/,c71 an invasive procedure with no medical necessity1 represents a form of gender-based discrimination1 is recognized internationally as a violation of the human rights of girls and women and can be recognized as sexual violence2 ,whereas over #bjj1jjj1jjj women and girls living today endured the irreversible procedure ,,fgm_/,c and according to the ,world ,health ,organization1 over #c1ijj1jjj additional girls are at risk of suffering ,,fgm_/,c each year2 ,whereas ,,fgm_/,c causes irreparable deformation1 pain1 bleeding1 and increased risk of ,,hiv infection1 and can result in complications such as shock1 fistulas1 complications of childbirth1 and death2 ,whereas sexual violence against children1 as defined by the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention 7referred to in this resolution as the ,,cdc71 includes all forms of sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children4 ,this encompasses a range of acts1 including completed nonconsensual sex acts 7such as rape71 attempted nonconsensual sex acts1 abusive sexual contact 7such as unwanted touching71 and noncontact sexual abuse 7such as threatened sexual violence1 exhibitionism1 verbal sexual harassment1 and use of explicit images72 ,whereas recognizing the need for data and evidence to guide actions to end violence against children1 the ,,cdc partnered with ,united ,nations ,children's ,fund 7referred to in this resolution as ,,unicef7 ,swaziland 7now ,eswatini7 and the ,government of ,eswatini to develop and implement the scientifically sound surveillance tool1 ,violence ,against ,children and ,youth ,surveys 7referred to in this resolution as ,,vacs72 ,whereas ,,vacs are nationally representative household surveys designed to define the magnitude1 nature1 and consequences of sexual1 physical1 and emotional violence among children and adolescents2 ,whereas the governments of #bb nations including #ad ,african nations 7,botswana1 ,cte d',ivoire1 ,eswatini1 ,kenya1 ,lesotho1 ,malawi1 ,mozambique1 ,namibia1 ,nigeria1 ,rwanda1 ,tanzania1 ,uganda1 ,zambia1 and ,zimbabwe7 demonstrated leadership in addressing the pandemic of sexual violence against girls through the implementation of ,,vacs with technical support from the ,,cdc and coordination from multistakeholders including ,,unicef1 ,together for ,girls1 and others2 ,whereas ,,vacs data from over #cj1jjj respondents in ,africa revealed-- 7#a7 over #be percent of girls and #aj percent of boys experienced sexual violence before the age of #ah years2 7#b7 for #a in #d girls1 their first sexual intercourse experience was forced or coerced2 7#c7 the most common perpetrators of sexual violence are people known to the victims2 7#d7 only about half of the victims of childhood sexual violence tell anyone2 7#e7 fewer than #aj percent of assaulted girls and #g percent of assaulted boys sought care services and received them2 7#f7 #a of #c girls who experienced unwanted sex became pregnant before the age of #ah years2 7#g7 two-thirds of boys who experience sexual violence report mental distress later in life2 and 7#h7 sexual violence against children and adolescents was associated with a #cgj-percent increase in the incidence of ,,hiv infection1 a #cej-percent increase in the incidence of unwanted pregnancies1 and a #bjj-percent increase in attempted suicide2 ,whereas country-specific surveillance data from ,,vacs were analyzed by scientists at the ,,cdc and presented to the government-led1 public and private multistakeholder1 in-country team to catalyze the formation of the individual nationwide action plans2 ,whereas the formation of data-driven action plans utilizes ,,inspire1 a ,world ,health ,organization technical package of proven strategies to reduce violence1 including-- 7#a7 implementation and enforcement of laws2 7#b7 norms and values2 7#c7 safe environments2 7#d7 parent and caregiver support2 7#e7 income and economic strengthening2 7#f7 response and support services2 and 7#g7 education and life skills2 ,whereas ,,inspire guided action plans resulting in significant progress in strengthening protection for youth included-- 7#a7 in response to a #ch-percent prevalence of childhood sexual violence among girls1 the ,government of ,eswatini drafted the first law in their country making sexual abuse of minors illegal2 7#b7 several countries used the data to improve services for victims by establishing advocacy centers where health1 legal1 and social services could be accessed2 7#c7 countries such as ,tanzania and ,nigeria1 where violence in schools was noted to be high1 developed policies1 codes1 and protective guidelines for teachers and schools2 and 7#d7 reforms in ,uganda1 including expansion of the ,no ,means ,no6 program to #bj1jjj adolescent girls and implementation of the ,coaching ,boys into ,men program1 contributed to a significant decrease in the incidence of rape2 ,whereas the followup household surveillance1 ,,vacs1 thus far completed in ,kenya and ,zimbabwe1 revealed a significant decrease in sexual violence among children and adolescents after data-driven reforms were instituted2 ,whereas sexual violence1 common in the ,united ,states and around the globe at times of peace1 occurs with increased incidence in settings of conflict1 migration1 internal displacement1 and institutionalization where it is known to be used to intimidate1 subjugate1 and instill fear2 ,whereas survivors in these adverse settings commonly experience collective abandonment and an entrenched impunity of their perpetrators2 and ,whereas the strong association between experiencing violence in childhood and later perpetrating violence highlights the importance of comprehensive interventions for both survivors and perpetrators3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that it is the sense of the ,house of ,representatives that the ,united ,states-- 7#a7 recognizes that sexual violence against girls remains a devastating global health1 human rights1 and economic problem that is both unjustifiable and preventable and impedes peace and security2 7#b7 recognizes the leadership of ,african nations using data-driven1 in-country1 government-led1 multisector reform to end sexual violence against girls2 7#c7 encourages the commitment of all nations to address the ,united ,nations ,sustainable ,development ,goals including goal #af4b1 ,end abuse1 exploitation1 trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children1 goal #e1 ,achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls1 and goal #e4c1 ,eliminate all harmful practices1 such as child1 early and forced marriage and female genital mutilations2 7#d7 encourages all nations to put into place proven methods and tools such as ,,vacs1 a proven household surveillance tool1 and ,,inspire1 an evidence-based technical package of strategies1 to generate and implement government-led1 data-driven1 comprehensive1 multisector response plans to end sexual violence against girls2 7#e7 encourages the establishment of multidisciplinary and integrated systems in every country to ensure that laws are put into place to protect girls and that these laws are enforced by a trained and supported criminal justice system2 7#f7 encourages increased global and domestic efforts to eliminate ,,fgm_/,c2 7#g7 encourages funding for further research on the global magnitude1 scope1 consequences including health1 social and economic burdens1 and prevention of sexual violence among all children including more vulnerable populations such as children who are disabled1 institutionalized1 or homeless1 children living as refugees1 or internally displaced persons1 and children living in areas of conflict2 7#h7 encourages the establishment of safe1 survivor-centered spaces1 and advocacy centers for coordination of health1 psychologic1 and other services for survivors and their families2 7#i7 encourages the adaptation and application of the ,,vacs technique in humanitarian contexts to acquire relevant data for analysis to drive planning2 and 7#aj7 encourages domestic use of the proven survey and technical tools ,,vacs and ,,inspire to address sexual violence against girls in the ,united ,states4