This resolution condemns attacks on education settings, including violence against schools, sexual violence against children in schools, and recruitment of children into armed forces from schools. The resolution affirms U.S. government commitments to support education services for children affected by conflict and calls on the U.S. government to monitor attacks on education settings and to provide support for the inclusion of refugee children in host-country education systems.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 277 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
116th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 277
Affirming the importance of access to safe, quality education,
including protection from attacks on education, for children in
conflict settings.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 1, 2019
Mrs. Lowey (for herself and Mr. Chabot) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Affirming the importance of access to safe, quality education,
including protection from attacks on education, for children in
conflict settings.
Whereas providing children with education is critical to the international,
humanitarian, and development efforts of the United States;
Whereas 142,000,000 children live in high-intensity conflict zones, according to
a February 2019 report from Save the Children;
Whereas grave violations against children, which are defined by the United
Nations Security Council as the killing and maiming of children,
recruitment or use of children as soldiers, sexual violence against
children, abduction of children, and attacks against schools or
hospitals, have nearly tripled since 2010;
Whereas attacks on education settings, including targeted killings, sexual and
gender-based violence, abduction, child recruitment, intimidation,
threats, military occupation, and destruction of property, are common
tactics in conflict;
Whereas there were 1,432 verified attacks on schools in conflict contexts in
2017, according to the United Nations Secretary General's annual report
on children and armed conflict;
Whereas conflict limits educational opportunities for millions of students
worldwide, and regions with low rates of education have a 50-percent
chance of experiencing conflict;
Whereas 27,000,000 children of primary and lower secondary school age are out of
school in 24 conflict-affected countries, and refugee children are 5
times more likely to be out of school as compared to nonrefugee
children;
Whereas only 61 percent of refugee children attend primary school compared to 92
percent of nonrefugee children, only 23 percent of refugee adolescents
attend secondary school compared to 84 percent globally, and only 1
percent of refugee children make it to a university;
Whereas education in emergencies is lifesaving, providing access to critical
services, including nutrition, health services, mental health and
psychosocial support, water, sanitation, and hygiene;
Whereas education supports children's safety and well-being as part of child
protection strategies;
Whereas education accounts for less than 2 percent of total global humanitarian
funding and child-specific protection programs account for 0.53 percent;
Whereas girls and boys experience conflict differently, encounter distinct
gender-related barriers to education, and require gender-responsive and
context-specific approaches to education, child protection, and health
services, including mental health and psychosocial support programming;
Whereas girls, children with disabilities, and those impacted by traumatic
experiences living in conflict contexts face significant barriers to
access, enrollment, and attendance in schools;
Whereas access to quality educational opportunities can contribute to peace and
security as well as mitigate factors that lead to conflict and
displacement; and
Whereas Congress passed the Reinforcing Education Accountability in Development
Act (Public Law 115-56), and the Protecting Girls' Access to Education
in Vulnerable Settings Act (Public Law 115-442), which recognize the
importance of education in crisis and conflict situations, and require
reporting on progress toward a comprehensive United States strategy to
promote quality basic education in partner countries and address the
needs of displaced girls: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) condemns attacks on education settings, including
violence against schools, the military use of schools, acts of
sexual violence against children in school settings, and the
abduction and recruitment of children into armed forces from
schools;
(2) affirms the commitment of the United States Government
to support educational services for children affected by
conflict, including the most vulnerable and marginalized,
beginning in the earliest phases of humanitarian response
efforts--
(A) to save lives and facilitate access to critical
services, including nutrition, health, psychosocial
support, water, sanitation, and hygiene;
(B) to support physical, psychosocial, and
cognitive protection; and
(C) to support greater short- and long-term
stability, promote peace, and support the vital
contributions of women and girls to communities,
nations, and regions around the world; and
(3) calls on the United States Government--
(A) to monitor attacks on education settings,
including attacks on schools, teachers, and students,
and attacks that are gender-related, and to use that
information to support effective and coordinated
diplomatic and programmatic responses;
(B) to hold accountable all parties, including
government and non-state actors, responsible for
attacks on schools and other grave violations against
children in armed conflict;
(C) to support policies and programs to return
refugee children to educational settings as soon as
possible upon arrival in a host country;
(D) to provide support for the inclusion of refugee
children in host country national education plans and
systems whenever possible;
(E) to recognize that education in emergencies and
child protection programs are lifesaving and
complementary efforts that are strongest when equally
supported;
(F) to ensure that marginalized children in
conflict settings, especially girls, children with
disabilities, those suffering from trauma, and those
excluded from access to quality and inclusive education
due to other causes, are able to access safe, quality
education;
(G) to ensure appropriate training and support for
teachers to best support students' distinct needs,
including their psychosocial well-being, and to apply
conflict-sensitive and gender-responsive approaches;
(H) to encourage the inclusion of child protection
experts in peacekeeping missions, to push for reporting
requirements on attacks on schools and children in
peacekeeping mandates, and to support the inclusion of
child rights experts in justice and accountability
mechanisms;
(I) to support preventative measures, such as early
warning systems and rapid response mechanisms, in
places where attacks on education occur or are highly
likely to occur; and
(J) to work in collaboration with civil society
experts to better prevent and respond to attacks on
education, and with relevant multilateral institutions
and other nations to share responsibility for
monitoring, preventing, and responding to attacks on
education.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
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