[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 349 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 349

       Calling for an end to the sexual exploitation of refugees.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 13, 2002

 Ms. Millender-McDonald submitted the following concurrent resolution; 
     which was referred to the Committee on International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
       Calling for an end to the sexual exploitation of refugees.

Whereas the United Nations has received reports of widespread sexual 
        exploitation of refugees in exchange for humanitarian assistance;
Whereas a report commissioned by the United Nations High Commissioner of 
        Refugees and the British organization Save the Children accuses dozens 
        of aid workers in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea of refusing to give 
        food and medicine to young girls unless they perform sexual favors;
Whereas the Secretary General of the United Nations has denounced this sexual 
        exploitation and called for a full investigation of the humanitarian 
        staff from the agencies involved;
Whereas international nongovernmental organizations, government agencies 
        responsible for humanitarian response, and peacekeeping forces have all 
        been implicated in various reports of sexual exploitation of refugees;
Whereas the exchange of sex for money or gifts appears to be widespread and many 
        refugee children feel that there are no other options for securing their 
        basic necessities;
Whereas the majority of the victims of this exploitation are girls between the 
        ages of 13 and 18 years old, many of whom are orphaned;
Whereas insufficient food rations was cited as a primary factor contributing to 
        sexual exploitation; and
Whereas refugees are often highly illiterate and susceptible to exchanging sex 
        for food to help their families survive: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That Congress--
            (1) supports the Secretary General of the United Nations in 
        condemning the sexual exploitation of children by humanitarian 
        aid workers;
            (2) urges the United Nations Office of Investigative 
        Oversight Services to conduct an investigation of sexual 
        exploitation of refugees by humanitarian aid workers of both 
        non-governmental organizations and government sponsored 
        agencies; and
            (3) urges the President to--
                    (A) affirm the commitment of the United States to 
                protecting the well-being and human rights of women and 
                girls; and
                    (B) instruct the Administrator of the United States 
                Agency for International Development and the Secretary 
                of Agriculture to review the distribution of food 
                assistance to refugee communities throughout the world 
                to ensure that humanitarian assistance to refugees 
                provided by the United States is respectful of the 
                human rights of women and girls and supports young 
                girls identified as victims of sexual exploitation.
                                 <all>