Central American Women and Children Protection Act of 2019
This bill authorizes the Department of State to enter into bilateral agreements with the governments of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras to assist such countries in addressing violence against women and children.
Such agreements shall establish a plan to achieve certain objectives, such as (1) identifying areas of the highest incidence of violence against women and children, (2) evaluating victims' access to justice and the ability of the justice system to hold perpetrators accountable, and (3) identifying measurable goals to deter crimes against women and children.
The State Department may assist the governments of El Salvador, Guatemala, or Honduras if such a government enters into an agreement with the United States, but no funds provided under this bill may be given directly to such a government.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2836 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
116th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2836
To authorize appropriations for the Department of State for fiscal
years 2020 through 2022 to provide assistance to El Salvador,
Guatemala, and Honduras through bilateral compacts to increase
protection of women and children in their homes and communities and
reduce female homicides, domestic violence, and sexual assault.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 17, 2019
Mrs. Torres of California (for herself and Mrs. Wagner) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To authorize appropriations for the Department of State for fiscal
years 2020 through 2022 to provide assistance to El Salvador,
Guatemala, and Honduras through bilateral compacts to increase
protection of women and children in their homes and communities and
reduce female homicides, domestic violence, and sexual assault.
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 ``Central American Women and Children
Protection Act of 2019''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) The Northern Triangle countries of El Salvador,
Honduras, and Guatemala have among the highest homicide rates
in the world. In 2017, there were 60 homicides per 100,000
people in El Salvador, 43.6 homicides per 100,000 people in
Honduras, and 26.1 homicides per 100,000 people in Guatemala.
(2) Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador are characterized
by a high prevalence of drug- and gang-related violence,
murder, and crimes involving sexual- and gender-based violence.
The region also has high rates of domestic violence, child
abuse, and sexual assault.
(3) Central America ranks high among regions of the world
for female homicides. A combined 801 women were victims of
homicide in El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala in 2017 alone,
according to the United Nations Office of Drug Control and
Crime.
(4) El Salvador and Honduras are both among the top 3
countries in the world with the highest child homicides rates,
with more than 22 and 32 deaths per 100,000 children
respectively, according to the nongovernmental organization
Save the Children.
(5) Thousands of women, children, and families are fleeing
unsafe homes and communities each month in these countries due
to surging violence.
(6) Violent crimes against women and children are
substantially under-reported because the majority of victims
lack safe access to protection and justice.
(7) Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador governments allow
impunity for perpetrators of violence against women and
children, with less than 10 percent of reported cases resulting
in conviction.
(8) According to a study conducted by the Woodrow Wilson
International Center for Scholars, childhood experiences with
domestic violence in Latin America are a major risk factor for
future criminal behavior. Fifty-six percent of incarcerated
women and 59 percent of incarcerated men surveyed experienced
intra-familial violence during childhood.
SEC. 3. WOMEN AND CHILDREN PROTECTION COMPACTS.
(a) Authorization To Enter Into Compacts.--The Secretary of State
is authorized to enter into bilateral agreements with the Governments
of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras (in this Act referred to as
``Compact Countries'') to be known as Women and Children Protection
Compacts (in this Act referred to as ``Compacts''), for the purposes
of--
(1) strengthening the Compact Countries' criminal justice
systems and civil protection courts to protect women and
children and serve victims of domestic violence, sexual
assault, and child abuse and neglect and hold perpetrators
accountable;
(2) securing, creating, and sustaining safe communities,
building on current place-based approaches to prevent and deter
violence against women and children;
(3) ensuring schools are safe and promoting the prevention
and early detection of gender-based and domestic abuse within
communities in the Compact Countries; and
(4) providing security within the region to families and
unaccompanied children fleeing domestic, gang, or drug
violence.
(b) Components of Compact.--A Compact shall establish a 3 to 6 year
plan for achieving shared objectives articulated in Compacts, in
furtherance of the purposes of this Act, and shall include--
(1) identification of areas of highest incidence of
violence against women and children;
(2) evaluation of women and child victims' access to
protection and justice;
(3) evaluation of justice system capacity to respond to
reports of femicide, sexual assault, domestic violence, and
child abuse and neglect and to hold perpetrators accountable;
(4) identification of measurable goals to protect women and
children to deter crimes against them that the Compact commits
to achieve during the term of the Compact;
(5) indicators to monitor and measure progress toward
achieving these objectives, including reductions in prevalence
of femicide, sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse
and neglect; and
(6) provisions to ensure funds provided under the Compact
may be fully accounted for with an adequate audit trail.
SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF ASSISTANCE.
(a) Assistance.--The Secretary of State and the Administrator of
the United States Agency for International Development are authorized
to provide assistance to assist the Government of El Salvador, the
Government of Guatemala, or the Government of Honduras if the country
enters into a Compact.
(b) Prohibition of Direct Assistance.--No funds provided pursuant
to this Act shall be provided directly to the Governments of El
Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.
(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated $20,000,00 for each of fiscal years 2020, 2021, and 2022
to carry out this Act.
(d) Suspension of Assistance.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary may suspend or terminate
assistance authorized by this Act to any of the three countries
if the Secretary determines that--
(A) the country's government is engaged in
activities that are contrary to the national security
interests of the United States;
(B) the country or recipient entity has engaged in
a pattern of actions inconsistent with the criteria
used to determine the eligibility of the country or
entity, as the case may be; or
(C) the country or recipient entity has failed to
make sufficient progress to meet the goals of the
Compact.
(2) Reinstatement.--The Secretary may reinstate assistance
for a country or entity suspended or terminated under this
paragraph only if the Secretary certifies to Congress that the
country or entity has taken steps to correct each condition for
which assistance was suspended or terminated under paragraph
(1).
SEC. 5. COMPACT PROGRESS REPORTS AND BRIEFING.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of State shall submit to Congress
not later than September 30 of each fiscal year covered by the
authorization a joint report that contains a detailed description of
the implementation of the Compacts during the prior year.
(b) Contents.--The report under subsection (a) for fiscal year 2022
shall include--
(1) information on the overall rates of gender-based
violence in the Northern Triangle countries, including by using
victimization surveys, regardless of whether or not these acts
of violence are reported to government authorities;
(2) information on incidences of gender-based violence
cases reported to the authorities in the Northern Triangle
countries and the percentage of perpetrators investigated,
apprehended, prosecuted, and convicted;
(3) information on the capacity and resource allocation of
child welfare systems in each Northern Triangle country to
protect unaccompanied children, including runaways and refugee
returnees in Northern Triangle countries;
(4) the percentage of reported violence against women and
children cases reaching conviction;
(5) a baseline and percentage changes in women and children
victims receiving legal and social services;
(6) a baseline and percentage changes in school retention
rates;
(7) a baseline and changes in capacity of police,
prosecution service, and courts to combat violence against
women and children; and
(8) independent external evaluation of funded programs,
including compliance with terms of the Compacts by all parties.
(c) Briefing.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State and the Administrator of
the United States Agency for International Development shall provide
the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on
Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives a briefing on the data
and information collected pursuant to this section and the steps taken
to protect victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and child
abuse and neglect.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
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