,,ii  #aagth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #bjjc  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,june #aj1     
#bjba,mr4 ,rubio 7for himself1 ,mr4     
,menendez1 ,ms4 ,collins1 ,mrs4         
,shaheen1 ,mr4 ,young1 ,mr4 ,coons1 and 
,mr4 ,portman7 introduced the following 
bill2 which was read twice and referred 
to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations
  ,a ,,bill  ,to authorize              
appropriations for the ,department of   
,state for fiscal years #bjba through   
#bjbc to provide assistance to ,el      
,salvador1 ,guatemala1 and ,honduras    
through bilateral compacts to increase  
protection of women and children in     
their homes and communities and reduce  
female homicides1 domestic violence1 and
 sexual assault4  #a4 ,short title ,this
 ,act may be cited as the ,central      
,american ,women and ,children          
,protection ,act of #bjba4  #b4         
,findings ,congress finds the following3
 7#a7 ,the ,northern ,triangle countries
 of ,el ,salvador1 ,guatemala1 and      

,honduras have among the highest        
homicide rates in the world4 ,in #bjbj1 
there were-- 7,a7 #ai4g homicides per   
#ajj1jjj people in ,el ,salvador2  7,b7 
#ae4d homicides per #ajj1jjj people in  
,guatemala2 and  7,c7 #cg4f homicides   
per #ajj1jjj people in ,honduras4  7#b7 
,el ,salvador1 ,guatemala1 and ,honduras
 are characterized by a high prevalence 
of drug- and gang-related violence1     
murder1 and crimes involving sexual- and
 gender-based violence against women and
 children1 including domestic violence1 
child abuse1 and sexual assault4  7#c7  
,in #bjai1 ,el ,salvador1 ,guatemala1   
and ,honduras were all listed among the 
#g countries in the ,latin ,america and 
,caribbean region with the highest rates
 of femicides 7the intentional killing  
of women or girls because of their      
gender74 ,in #bjai-- 7,a7 #aac women in 
,el ,salvador were victims of femicide2 
7,b7 #afj women in ,guatemala were      
victims of femicide2 and  7,c7 #bii     
women in ,honduras were victims of      

femicide or violent homicide4  7#d7 ,in 
#bjae1 ,el ,salvador and ,honduras were 
among the top #c countries in the world 
with the highest child homicides rates1 
with more than #bb and #cb deaths per   
#ajj1jjj children1 respectively1        
according to the nongovernmental        
organization ,save the ,children4  7#e7 
,thousands of women1 children1 and      
families from ,el ,salvador1 ,guatemala1
 and ,honduras fled unsafe homes and    
communities in #bjai4  7#f7 ,violent    
crimes against women and children are   
generally assumed to be substantially   
under-reported because the majority of  
victims lack safe access to protection  
and justice4  7#g7 ,impunity for        
perpetrators of violence against women  
is rampant in ,el ,salvador1 ,guatemala1
 and ,honduras4 ,there was a #e percent 
conviction rate for violence against    
women in ,el ,salvador in #bjaf and     
#bjag4 ,the impunity level for violence 
against women in ,guatemala was #ig4je  
percent in #bjah4 ,in #bjah1 there was  

an impunity rate of #ie percent for     
violence against women in ,honduras4    
7#h7 ,according to a study conducted by 
the ,woodrow ,wilson ,international     
,center for ,scholars-- 7,a7 childhood  
experiences with domestic violence in   
,latin ,america are a major risk factor 
for future criminal behavior2 and  7,b7 
#ef percent of incarcerated women and   
#ei percent of incarcerated men surveyed
 experienced intra-familial violence    
during childhood4  #c4 ,women and       
children protection compacts  7a7       
,authorization to enter into compacts   
,the ,secretary of ,state1 in           
coordination with the ,administrator of 
the ,united ,states ,agency for         
,international ,development1 is         
authorized to enter into multi-year1    
bilateral agreements of not longer than 
#f years in duration1 developed in      
conjunction with the governments of ,el 
,salvador1 ,guatemala1 and ,honduras    
7referred to in this ,act as ,compact   
,countries74 ,such agreements shall be  

known as ,women and ,children           
,protection ,compacts 7referred to in   
this ,act as ,compacts74  7b7 ,purpose  
,each ,compact shall-- 7#a7 set out the 
shared goals and objectives of the      
,united ,states and the government of   
the ,compact ,country2 and  7#b7 be     
aimed at strengthening the ,compact     
,country's efforts-- 7,a7 to strengthen 
criminal justice and civil court systems
 to protect women and children and serve
 victims of domestic violence1 sexual   
violence1 and child exploitation and    
neglect1 and hold perpetrators          
accountable2  7,b7 to secure1 create1   
and sustain safe communities1 building  
on best practices to prevent and deter  
violence against women and children2    
7,c7 to ensure that schools are safe and
 promote the prevention and early       
detection of domestic abuse against     
women and children within communities2  
and  7,d7 to increase access to         
high-quality1 life-saving health care1  
including post-rape and dignity kits1   

psychosocial support1 and dedicated     
spaces and shelters for gender-based    
violence survivors1 in accordance with  
international standards4  7c7 ,compact  
elements ,each ,compact shall-- 7#a7    
establish a #c- to #f-year cooperative  
strategy and assistance plan for        
achieving the shared goals and          
objectives articulated in such ,compact2
  7#b7 be informed by the assessments   
of-- 7,a7 the areas within the ,compact 
,country experiencing the highest       
incidence of violence against women and 
children2  7,b7 the ability of women and
 children to access protection and      
obtain effective judicial relief2 and   
7,c7 the judicial capacity to respond to
 reports within the ,compact ,country of
 femicide1 sexual and domestic violence1
 and child exploitation and neglect1 and
 to hold the perpetrators of such       
criminal acts accountable2  7#c7 seek to
 address the driving forces of violence 
against women and children1 which shall 
include efforts to break the binding    

constraints to inclusive economic growth
 and access to justice2  7#d7 identify  
clear and measurable goals1 objectives1 
and benchmarks under the ,compact to    
detect1 deter and respond to violence   
against women and children2  7#e7 set   
out clear roles1 responsibilities1 and  
objectives under the ,compact1 which    
shall include a description of the      
anticipated policy and financial        
commitments of the central government of
 the ,compact ,country2  7#f7 seek to   
leverage and deconflict contributions   
and complementary programming by other  
donors1 international organizations1    
multilateral institutions1 regional     
organizations1 nongovernmental          
organizations1 and the private sector1  
as appropriate2  7#g7 include a         
description of the metrics and          
indicators to monitor and measure       
progress toward achieving the goals1    
objectives1 and benchmarks under the    
,compact1 including reductions in the   
prevalence of femicide1 sexual assault1 

domestic violence1 and child abuse and  
neglect2  7#h7 provide for the conduct  
of an impact evaluation not later than  
#a year after the conclusion of the     
,compact2 and  7#i7 provide for a full  
accounting of all funds expended under  
the ,compact1 which shall include full  
audit authority for the ,office of the  
,inspector ,general of the ,department  
of ,state1 the ,office of the ,inspector
 ,general of the ,united ,states ,agency
 for ,international ,development1 and   
the ,government ,accountability ,office1
 as appropriate4  7d7 ,sunset ,the      
authority to enter into ,compacts under 
this ,act shall expire on ,september    
#cj1 #bjbc4  #d4 ,authorization of      
assistance  7a7 ,assistance ,the        
,secretary of ,state1 in coordination   
with the ,administrator of the ,united  
,states ,agency for ,international      
,development1 is authorized to provide  
assistance under this section4  7b7     
,authorization of appropriations ,there 
is authorized to be appropriated        

#ae1jjj1jjj for each of the fiscal years
 #bjbb and #bjbc to carry out this ,act4
  7c7 ,implementers ,assistance         
authorized under subsection 7a7 may be  
provided through grants1 cooperative    
agreements1 contracts or other          
innovative financing instruments to     
civil society1 international            
organizations1 or other private entities
 with relevant expertise4  7d7          
,prohibition on direct budgetary support
 ,no funds appropriated pursuant to     
subsection 7b7 may be provided as direct
 budgetary support to the ,government of
 ,el ,salvador1 the ,government of      
,guatemala1 or the ,government of       
,honduras4  7e7 ,suspension of          
assistance  7#a7 ,in general ,the       
,secretary of ,state1 in coordination   
with the ,administrator of the ,united  
,states ,agency for ,international      
,development1 may suspend or terminate  
assistance authorized under this ,act if
 the ,secretary determines that the     
,compact ,country or implementing       

entity-- 7,a7 is engaged in activities  
that are contrary to the national       
security interests of the ,united       
,states2  7,b7 has engaged in a pattern 
of actions inconsistent with the goals1 
objectives1 commitments1 or obligations 
under the ,compact2 or  7,c7 has failed 
to make sufficient progress toward      
meeting the goals1 objectives1          
commitments1 or obligations under the   
,compact4  7#b7 ,reinstatement ,the     
,secretary of ,state1 in coordination   
with the ,administrator of the ,united  
,states ,agency for ,international      
,development1 may reinstate assistance  
suspended or terminated pursuant to     
paragraph 7#a7 only if the ,secretary   
certifies to the ,committee on ,foreign 
,relations of the ,senate and the       
,committee on ,foreign ,affairs of the  
,house of ,representatives that the     
,compact ,country or implementing entity
 has taken steps to correct each        
condition for which assistance was      
suspended or terminated under paragraph 

7#a74  7#c7 ,notification and report    
,not later than #ae days before         
suspending or terminating assistance    
pursuant to paragraph 7#a71 the         
,secretary1 in coordination with the    
,administrator of the ,united ,states   
,agency for ,international ,development1
 shall notify the ,committee on ,foreign
 ,relations of the ,senate and the      
,committee on ,foreign ,affairs of the  
,house of ,representatives of the       
suspension or termination1 including a  
justification for such action4  #e4     
,congressional notification ,not later  
than #ae days before entering into a    
,compact with the ,government of        
,guatemala1 the ,government of          
,honduras1 or the ,government of ,el    
,salvador1 the ,secretary of ,state1 in 
coordination with the ,administrator of 
the ,united ,states ,agency for         
,international ,development1 shall      
submit to the ,committee on ,foreign    
,relations of the ,senate1 the          
,committee on ,appropriations of the    

,senate1 the ,committee on ,foreign     
,affairs of the ,house of               
,representatives1 and the ,committee on 
,appropriations of the ,house of        
,representatives-- 7#a7 a copy of the   
proposed ,compact2  7#b7 a detailed     
summary of the cooperative strategy and 
assistance plan required under section  
#c7;c72 and  7#c7 a copy of any annexes1
 appendices1 or implementation plans    
related to the ,compact4  #f4 ,compact  
progress reports and briefings  7a7     
,progress report ,not later than #a year
 after entering into a ,compact1 and    
annually during the life of the         
,compact1 the ,secretary of ,state1 in  
coordination with the ,administrator of 
the ,united ,states ,agency for         
,international ,development1 shall      
submit a report to the congressional    
committees listed in section #e that    
describes the progress made under the   
,compact4  7b7 ,contents ,the report    
under subsection 7a7 shall include--    
7#a7 analysis and information on the    

overall rates of gender-based violence  
against women and children in ,el       
,salvador1 ,guatemala1 and ,honduras1   
including by using survivor surveys1    
regardless of whether or not these acts 
of violence are reported to government  
authorities2  7#b7 analysis and         
information on incidences of cases of   
gender-based violence against women and 
children reported to the authorities in 
,el ,salvador1 ,guatemala1 and          
,honduras1 and the percentage of alleged
 perpetrators investigated1 apprehended1
 prosecuted1 and convicted2  7#c7       
analysis and information on the capacity
 and resource allocation of child       
welfare systems in ,el ,salvador1       
,guatemala1 and ,honduras to protect    
unaccompanied children2  7#d7 the       
percentage of reported violence against 
women and children cases reaching       
conviction2  7#e7 a baseline and        
percentage changes in women and children
 victims receiving legal and other      
social services2  7#f7 a baseline and   

percentage changes in school retention  
rates2  7#g7 a baseline and changes in  
capacity of police1 prosecution service1
 and courts to combat violence against  
women and children2  7#h7 a baseline and
 changes in capacity of health1         
protection1 and other relevant          
ministries to support survivors of      
gender-based violence2 and  7#i7        
independent external evaluation of      
funded programs1 including compliance   
with terms of the ,compacts by ,el      
,salvador1 ,guatemala1 and ,honduras1   
and by the recipients of the assistance4
  7c7 ,briefing ,not later than #ahj    
days after the date of the enactment of 
this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,state and 
the ,administrator of the ,united       
,states ,agency for ,international      
,development shall provide a briefing to
 the congressional committees listed in 
section #e regarding-- 7#a7 the data and
 information collected pursuant to this 
section2 and  7#b7 the steps taken to   
protect and assist victims of domestic  

violence1 sexual violence1 and child    
exploitation and neglect4