[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5905 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5905

       To combat international violence against women and girls.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              June 7, 2012

Ms. Schakowsky (for herself, Mrs. Lowey, Mr. Berman, Mr. Ackerman, Ms. 
Bass of California, Ms. Bordallo, Mrs. Capps, Mr. Carnahan, Ms. Clarke 
of New York, Ms. DeLauro, Mr. Frank of Massachusetts, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. 
 Hinchey, Ms. Jackson Lee of Texas, Mr. Larson of Connecticut, Ms. Lee 
  of California, Mrs. Maloney, Ms. McCollum, Mr. McGovern, Mr. George 
Miller of California, Ms. Moore, Mr. Moran, Mr. Murphy of Connecticut, 
 Mrs. Napolitano, Ms. Norton, Mr. Rangel, Ms. Richardson, Mr. Sherman, 
   Ms. Slaughter, Ms. Speier, Mr. Stark, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, Ms. 
 Woolsey, Mr. Lewis of Georgia, Ms. Edwards, Mr. Larsen of Washington, 
   Mr. Cicilline, Ms. Hirono, Mr. Olver, Ms. DeGette, and Mr. Welch) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                            Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
       To combat international violence against women and girls.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``International 
Violence Against Women Act of 2012''.
    (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as 
follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Findings.
Sec. 3. Statement of policy.
Sec. 4. Office for Global Women's Issues.
Sec. 5. Comprehensive international strategy and assistance to reduce 
                            and prevent violence against women and 
                            girls.
Sec. 6. Assistance to prevent and respond to violence against women and 
                            girls internationally.
Sec. 7. Ensuring accountability of the United States response to 
                            violence against women and girls 
                            internationally.
Sec. 8. Enhancing United States training of foreign military and police 
                            forces and judicial officials on violence 
                            against women and girls.
Sec. 9. Addressing violence against women and girls in humanitarian 
                            relief, peacekeeping, conflict, and 
                            postconflict settings.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Approximately 1 out of every 3 women throughout the 
        world will be beaten, experience physical or sexual violence, 
        or be otherwise abused in her lifetime. The World Health 
        Organization (WHO) has reported that up to 70 percent of women 
        in some countries report having been victims of domestic 
        violence at some stage in their lives.
            (2) The status of women is an indicator for the overall 
        direction of society, serving as a valuable barometer for 
        social unrest and instability.
            (3) Addressing women's and girls' rights can improve 
        security as World Bank data shows a strong correlation between 
        gender inequality and violence within a state.
            (4) Violence against women and girls dramatically impedes 
        progress in meeting all of our global health goals, including 
        efforts to stem maternal mortality and the spread of HIV/AIDS. 
        Approximately 1 in 4 women are abused during pregnancy, which, 
        according to WHO, has been linked to miscarriage, preterm 
        labor, low birth weight, fetal distress, and death. Women who 
        have experienced violence are also at higher risk for 
        contracting HIV, and women living with HIV may be up to 3 times 
        more likely to experience violence than other women. Fear of 
        violence also prevents women from accessing HIV/AIDS 
        information and receiving treatment and counseling.
            (5) Increasing women's access to economic opportunities is 
        crucial to preventing and responding to domestic and sexual 
        violence. Microfinance-based interventions and increased asset 
        control reduce levels of intimate partner violence and provide 
        economic independence for survivors.
            (6) Displaced, refugee, and stateless women and girls in 
        humanitarian emergencies, conflict settings, and natural 
        disasters face extreme violence and threats because of power 
        inequities, including--
                    (A) being forced to exchange sex for food and 
                humanitarian supplies; and
                    (B) being at increased risk of rape, sexual 
                exploitation, and abuse.
            (7) Rape and sexual assault against women and girls are 
        used to torture, intimidate, and terrorize women and their 
        communities.
            (8) Research shows that working with men and boys to change 
        attitudes towards women can have a profound impact on reducing 
        violence against women.
            (9) According to the United Nations Children's Fund 
        (UNICEF), child marriage--
                    (A) is a harmful practice that deprives girls of 
                their dignity and human rights;
                    (B) can result in bonded labor or enslavement, 
                commercial sexual exploitation, and violence against 
                the victims;
                    (C) significantly increases the risk of maternal 
                death and morbidity, infant mortality and morbidity, 
                obstetric fistula, and sexually transmitted diseases, 
                including HIV/AIDS; and
                    (D) is perpetuated by poverty, a lack of 
                educational or employment opportunities for girls, 
                parental concerns to ensure sexual relations within 
                marriage, the dowry system, and the perceived lack of 
                value of girls.

SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY.

    It is the policy of the United States to--
            (1) systematically integrate and coordinate efforts to 
        prevent and respond to violence against women and girls 
        internationally into United States foreign policy and foreign 
        assistance programs;
            (2) promote women's political, economic, educational, 
        social, cultural, civil, and human rights and opportunities 
        throughout the world;
            (3) support and build capacity of indigenous 
        nongovernmental organizations that are working to prevent and 
        respond to violence against women and girls internationally, 
        particularly women's nongovernmental organizations and groups 
        involving male advocates;
            (4) prevent and respond to violence against women and girls 
        internationally through multisectoral methods, working at 
        individual, family, community, local, national, and 
        international levels and incorporating service, prevention, 
        training, and advocacy activities and economic, education, 
        health, legal, and protective intervention services;
            (5) enhance training and other prevention and response to 
        violence against women and girls internationally in 
        humanitarian relief, conflict, and post-conflict settings;
            (6) enhance training by United States personnel of 
        professional foreign military and police forces and judicial 
        officials to include specific and thorough instruction on 
        preventing and responding to violence against women and girls 
        internationally;
            (7) more regularly engage men and boys as community 
        leaders, partners, and advocates in ending violence against 
        women and girls;
            (8) support efforts to end child marriage as an important 
        part of preventing violence against girls by promoting 
        education and skills building for girls, community programs, 
        and increased economic opportunities for women to achieve 
        development objectives; and
            (9) ensure that private security firms contracted for 
        service in conflict, humanitarian, and postconflict settings 
        appropriately report on, and respond to, violence against women 
        and girls internationally.

SEC. 4. OFFICE FOR GLOBAL WOMEN'S ISSUES.

    (a) Establishment.--The Secretary of State shall establish in the 
Office of the Secretary of the Department of State an Office for Global 
Women's Issues (in this section referred to as the ``Office''). The 
Office shall be headed by an Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's 
Issues (in this section referred to as the ``Ambassador-at-Large''), 
who shall be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and 
consent of the Senate. The Ambassador-at-Large shall report directly to 
the Secretary and shall have the rank and status of Ambassador-at-
Large.
    (b) Purpose.--In addition to the duties described in subsection (c) 
and those duties determined by the Secretary of State, the Office shall 
coordinate efforts of the United States Government regarding gender 
integration and empowerment of women in United States foreign policy.
    (c) Duties.--
            (1) In general.--The Ambassador-at-Large--
                    (A) shall coordinate and advise on activities, 
                policies, programs, and funding relating to gender 
                integration and empowerment of women internationally, 
                including those intended to prevent and respond to 
                violence against women, for all bureaus and offices of 
                the Department of State and in the international 
                programs of other United States Government departments 
                and agencies;
                    (B) shall actively promote and advance the full 
                integration of gender analysis into the programs, 
                structures, processes, and capacities of all bureaus 
                and offices of the Department of State and in the 
                international programs of other United States 
                Government departments and agencies;
                    (C) shall direct, as appropriate, United States 
                Government resources to respond to needs for gender 
                integration and empowerment of women in United States 
                Government foreign policies and international programs, 
                including to prevent and respond to violence against 
                women and girls internationally; and
                    (D) may design, support, and implement activities 
                regarding empowerment of women internationally, 
                including for the prevention and response of violence 
                against women and girls internationally.
            (2) Coordinating role.--The Ambassador-at-Large shall 
        coordinate and consult with all relevant United States 
        Government departments and agencies, particularly the United 
        States Agency for International Development, the Millennium 
        Challenge Corporation, and the Office of the Global AIDS 
        Coordinator, on all policies, programs, and funding of such 
        departments and agencies relating to gender integration and 
        empowerment of women, including ending violence against women 
        and girls internationally.
            (3) Diplomatic representation.--Subject to the direction of 
        the President and the Secretary of State, the Ambassador-at-
        Large is authorized to represent the United States in matters 
        relevant to the status of women, including violence against 
        women and girls internationally.
    (d) Reports.--Subject to the guidance of the Ambassador-at-Large, 
the heads of all bureaus and offices of the Department of State, as 
appropriate, shall evaluate and monitor all empowerment of women 
programs administered by such bureaus and offices and annually submit 
to the Ambassador-at-Large reports containing an accounting of such 
programs and their effectiveness.
    (e) Planning and Budgeting.--The Secretary of State and the 
Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development 
shall fully integrate gender into all diplomatic and development 
efforts of the Department of State and the United States Agency for 
International Development, respectively, through the inclusion of 
gender in strategic planning and budget allocations, and the 
development of indicators and evaluation mechanisms to measure the 
impact of United States policies and programs on women and girls in 
foreign countries.
    (f) Monitoring and Evaluation.--
            (1) In general.--The Office shall seek to coordinate with 
        United States Government departments and agencies and should 
        provide advice and guidance, as necessary, to United States 
        Government departments and agencies engaged in international 
        programs, to monitor and evaluate empowerment of women programs 
        and outcomes and impacts of such programs, including programs 
        such departments and agencies administer for prevention and 
        response to violence against women and girls internationally.
            (2) Report.--The heads of United States Government 
        departments and agencies with international programs described 
        in paragraph (1) shall provide to the Office on an annual basis 
        information on empowerment of women programs and outcomes and 
        impacts of such programs, including for prevention and response 
        to violence against women and girls internationally, in order 
        to contribute to the development and implementation of the 
        comprehensive strategy required under section 5.
    (g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated such sums as may be necessary, under the heading 
``Diplomatic and Consular Programs'', to carry out activities under 
this section. Funds appropriated pursuant to this subsection are in 
addition to amounts otherwise available for such purposes.

SEC. 5. COMPREHENSIVE INTERNATIONAL STRATEGY AND ASSISTANCE TO REDUCE 
              AND PREVENT VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS.

    (a) Development and Implementation of Strategy.--Not later than 1 
year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
State, with the assistance of the Administrator of the United States 
Agency for International Development, shall--
            (1) develop a comprehensive, 5-year international strategy 
        to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls 
        internationally;
            (2) submit the strategy developed under paragraph (1) to 
        the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the 
        Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives; 
        and
            (3) make the strategy available to the public.
    (b) Collaboration and Coordination.--In developing the strategy 
under subsection (a), the Secretary of State shall consult with--
            (1) Federal departments and agencies that have expertise in 
        preventing and responding to violence against women and girls 
        or administering international programs; and
            (2) representatives of civil society organizations with 
        demonstrated experience in combating violence against women and 
        girls or promoting women's health or women's development issues 
        internationally.
    (c) Content.--The strategy developed under subsection (a) shall--
            (1) identify eligible countries (not classified as high-
        income countries in the most recent edition of the World 
        Development Report for Reconstruction and Development, 
        published by the International Bank for Reconstruction and 
        Development) with significant levels of violence against women 
        and girls that have the government or nongovernmental 
        organizational capacity to manage and implement gender-based 
        violence prevention and response program activities and should, 
        when possible, be geographically, ethnically, and culturally 
        diverse from one another;
            (2) select at least 5 of the eligible countries identified 
        under paragraph (1) in which to develop a comprehensive and 
        holistic individual country plan that incorporates at least 2 
        of the program activities listed in subsection (d);
            (3) assess and describe the current or potential capacity 
        of the government of each eligible country selected under 
        paragraph (2) and civil society organizations in each such 
        eligible country to address and respond to violence against 
        women and girls;
            (4) identify and coordinate with Federal departments and 
        agencies that--
                    (A) have existing programs relevant to the 
                strategy;
                    (B) will be involved in new program activities; and
                    (C) coordinate with broader United States 
                strategies around development;
            (5) describe the monitoring and evaluation mechanisms 
        established for each eligible country, and their use in 
        assessing overall progress in prevention and response;
            (6) project general levels of resources needed to achieve 
        the stated objectives in each eligible country, including an 
        accounting of--
                    (A) activities and funding already expended by the 
                Department of State, the United States Agency for 
                International Development, other Federal departments 
                and agencies, other donor country governments, and 
                other multilateral institutions; and
                    (B) leveraged private sector resources;
            (7) include capacity-building and technical assistance for 
        community-based women's nongovernmental organizations and 
        community-based organizations with demonstrated experience 
        relating to prevention and response, including combating 
        violence against women and girls internationally;
            (8) identify and coordinate with existing nongovernmental 
        and multilateral programs, initiatives, and groups with 
        demonstrated experience in prevention and response 
        internationally, particularly coordinating with women's 
        organizations and community-based groups;
            (9) integrate gender analysis into the strategy for each 
        country to ensure that the roles of women, girls, men, and boys 
        are appropriately addressed; and
            (10) include, as appropriate, strategies designed to 
        accommodate the needs of stateless, internally displaced, 
        refugee, religious, or ethnic minority women and girls.
    (d) Program Activities Supported.--The strategy developed under 
subsection (a) for an eligible country shall contain a country plan 
that incorporates at least two of the following program activities:
            (1) Development and enforcement of civil and criminal legal 
        and judicial sanctions, protections, training, and capacity.
            (2) Development and implementation of programs, including 
        programs targeting men and boys and media campaigns, that work 
        to change social norms and attitudes so that violence against 
        women and girls is neither condoned nor tolerated.
            (3) Ensuring accessible quality educational and literacy 
        opportunities for women and girls.
            (4) Promotion of access to economic opportunity projects, 
        including increasing distribution, credit, property, and 
        inheritance rights for women and girls.
            (5) Enhancing the capacity of the health sector to prevent 
        and respond to violence against women and girls.
            (6) Supporting the elimination of obstacles faced by women 
        to political participation to encourage democratic principles.

SEC. 6. ASSISTANCE TO PREVENT AND RESPOND TO VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND 
              GIRLS INTERNATIONALLY.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of State and the Administrator of 
the United States Agency for International Development are authorized 
to provide assistance pursuant to the comprehensive international 
strategy developed under section 5 for eligible countries identified 
and selected under such section, including to support program 
activities described in subsection (d) of such section. Assistance 
under this section shall be provided through Department of State and 
United States Agency for International Development implementing 
agencies, including local and international civil society 
organizations, multilateral institutions, and governments of eligible 
countries, in accordance with existing procedures.
    (b) Coordination of Existing Assistance Programs.--The Secretary of 
State and the Administrator of the United States Agency for 
International Development shall, to the maximum extent practicable, 
coordinate programs, projects, and activities under this section with 
other programs, projects, and activities to prevent and respond to 
violence against women and girls internationally under the Foreign 
Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.) and other foreign 
assistance laws, as applicable.
    (c) Use of Funds.--Any funds made available under this section to 
nongovernmental or civil society organizations should be made available 
to organizations that--
            (1) have demonstrated experience regarding violence against 
        women and girls internationally or have entered into a 
        partnership with an organization with such experience; and
            (2) have demonstrated capabilities or experience in a 
        particular program activity described in section 5(d).
    (d) Congressional Briefings.--The Secretary of State and the 
Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development 
shall brief Congress upon request, on the transparent mechanisms used 
to ensure that funds made available under this section through 
nongovernmental organizations are awarded to organizations described in 
subsection (c).
    (e) Grants to Women's Nongovernmental Organizations and Community-
Based Organizations.--To the extent possible, 10 percent of the amount 
of assistance provided to an eligible country under this section should 
be provided to community-based organizations, including community-based 
women's nongovernmental organizations. The Administrator of the United 
States Agency for International Development shall brief Congress, upon 
request, on efforts made to assist such organizations to be eligible 
for such assistance.
    (f) Award Process.--Assistance provided under this section shall be 
provided through an open, competitive, and transparent process to the 
extent possible.
    (g) Conditions.--A recipient of assistance under this section--
            (1) where possible, shall allocate a reasonable portion of 
        such grants for data collection and the evaluation of program 
        effectiveness;
            (2) shall be responsible for developing and reporting on 
        outcomes and impacts relating to preventing and responding to 
        violence against women and girls internationally;
            (3) should gather input from women's nongovernmental 
        organizations or community-based organizations in recipient 
        countries, including organizations with experience in working 
        with men and boys to prevent violence; and
            (4) shall consider the safety of women and girls as a 
        primary concern in deciding how to design, implement, monitor, 
        and evaluate programs.

SEC. 7. ENSURING ACCOUNTABILITY OF THE UNITED STATES RESPONSE TO 
              VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS INTERNATIONALLY.

    (a) Amendments.--The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 is amended--
            (1) in section 116(d) (22 U.S.C. 2151n(d)), by adding at 
        the end the following:
    ``(g) The report required by subsection (d) shall include, wherever 
applicable, the nature and extent of violence against women and girls.
    ``(h) The report required by subsection (d) shall include, for each 
country in which child marriage is prevalent, a description of the 
status of the practice of child marriage in such country. In this 
subsection, the term `child marriage' means the marriage of a girl or 
boy, who has not attained the age of 18 but who has attained the 
minimum age for marriage stipulated in law or who has not attained the 
age of 18 if no such law exists, in the country in which such girl or 
boy is a resident.''; and
            (2) in section 502B (22 U.S.C. 2304), by adding at the end 
        the following:
    ``(j) The report required by subsection (b) shall include, wherever 
applicable, the nature and extent of violence against women and girls.
    ``(k) The report required by subsection (b) shall include, for each 
country in which child marriage is prevalent, a description of the 
status of the practice of child marriage in such country. In this 
subsection, the term `child marriage' means the marriage of a girl or 
boy, who has not attained the age of 18 but who has attained the 
minimum age for marriage stipulated in law or who has not attained the 
age of 18 if no such law exists, in the country in which such girl or 
boy is a resident.''.
    (b) Transparency.--Upon request, the Secretary of State shall 
provide to Congress the information made available under sections 5(b) 
and 6(b), including outcomes and impacts related to prevention and 
response to violence against women and girls internationally submitted 
by contractors, subcontractors, grantees, and subgrantees, unless such 
disclosure would inhibit the security or effectiveness of such 
entities.
    (c) Research and Data Collection.--The Secretary of State, with 
assistance from the Administrator of the United States Agency for 
International Development and in consultation with the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services and the Attorney General--
            (1) shall seek to coordinate data collection and 
        evaluations of international violence against women and girls 
        programs; and
            (2) may provide financial assistance for original research 
        or analysis of effective interventions to prevent or respond to 
        violence against women and girls internationally.
    (d) Use of Funds.--Amounts authorized to be appropriated in this 
section may be used to--
            (1) collect and analyze new or existing data on the scope 
        and extent of all forms of violence against women and girls 
        internationally, including under documented forms of violence 
        and violence against marginalized groups;
            (2) conduct research on effective interventions to respond 
        to violence against women and girls internationally, including 
        efforts to scaleup effective programming; and
            (3) support systemic data collection using internationally 
        comparable indicators, norms, and methodologies for measuring 
        the scope, prevalence, and incidence of violence against women 
        and girls internationally.

SEC. 8. ENHANCING UNITED STATES TRAINING OF FOREIGN MILITARY AND POLICE 
              FORCES AND JUDICIAL OFFICIALS ON VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN 
              AND GIRLS.

    (a) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to ensure that United 
States programs to train foreign military, police, and judicial 
officials include instruction on prevention of and response to violence 
against women and girls.
    (b) Guidance.--The Secretary of State is authorized to provide 
guidance to the Secretary of Defense, as appropriate, on how to--
            (1) incorporate training on prevention and response to 
        violence against women and girls into the basic training 
        curricula of foreign military forces, police forces, and 
        judicial officials under covered programs;
            (2) ensure that assistance under covered programs to units 
        involved in regional or multilateral peacekeeping operations 
        includes training on prevention and response to violence 
        against women and girls; and
            (3) engage community-based nongovernmental organizations in 
        the monitoring of actions taken by foreign military forces, 
        police forces, and judicial officials to prevent and respond to 
        violence against women and girls.
    (c) Covered Programs.--The programs referred to in subsection (a) 
include--
            (1) programs carried out by the Secretary of Defense under 
        the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.); 
        and
            (2) programs authorized under section 1206 of the National 
        Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006 (Public Law 109-
        163; Stat. 3456).

SEC. 9. ADDRESSING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS IN HUMANITARIAN 
              RELIEF, PEACEKEEPING, CONFLICT, AND POSTCONFLICT 
              SETTINGS.

    (a) Activities of the Department of State With USAID.--The 
Secretary of State and the Administrator of the United States Agency 
for International Development shall ensure that--
            (1) assistance made available for humanitarian relief, 
        conflict mitigation, and post-conflict reconstruction--
                    (A) prevents and responds to violence against women 
                and girls;
                    (B) builds the capacity of local partners to 
                address the special protection needs of women and 
                children;
                    (C) supports survivors of violence through 
                education, essential medical and psychosocial 
                assistance, trauma counseling, family and community 
                reinsertion and reunification, and economic opportunity 
                programs; and
                    (D) provides legal services for women and girls who 
                are victims of violence;
            (2) assistance made available for disarmament, 
        demobilization, rehabilitation, and reintegration--
                    (A) provides protection and suitable separate 
                facilities in demobilization and transit centers for 
                women and girls formerly involved in, or associated 
                with, fighting forces;
                    (B) offers equitable opportunities for such women 
                and girls, including access to schooling, vocational 
                training, employment, and childcare;
                    (C) provides essential medical care and 
                psychosocial support for such women and girls; and
                    (D) incorporates efforts to prevent future violence 
                against women and girls by former combatants;
            (3) specialists in violence against women and girls are 
        designated and deployed, as appropriate, as an integral part of 
        Disaster Assistance Response Teams to ensure the integration of 
        prevention and response to violence against women and girls 
        internationally in strategies and programming; and
            (4) contractors, grantees, and governments that carry out 
        programs with United States assistance--
                    (A) train humanitarian workers in preventing and 
                responding to violence against women and girls, 
                including in the use of mechanisms to report violence 
                against women and girls;
                    (B) conduct appropriate public outreach to make 
                known to the host community the mechanisms to report 
                violence against women and girls; and
                    (C) promptly and appropriately respond to reports 
                of violence against women and girls and treat survivors 
                in accordance with best practices regarding 
                confidentiality.
    (b) Coordination of United States Government Efforts.--The 
Secretary of State shall regularly consult with the Secretary of 
Defense and the Attorney General to coordinate design and 
implementation of programs relevant to the purposes of this section.
    (c) Sense of Congress Regarding Accountability of United Nations 
Peacekeeping and Police Forces and Their Capacity To Address Violence 
Against Women and Girls.--It is the sense of Congress that the 
Secretary of State should encourage the Secretary-General of the United 
Nations to continue to strengthen the ability of the United Nations 
Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the Department of Field 
Support to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls by--
            (1) requiring troop and police contributing countries to 
        properly train their forces deployed in United Nations 
        peacekeeping operations on the United Nations guidance 
        regarding violence against women and girls, including sexual 
        exploitation and abuse;
            (2) ensuring effective implementation of the zero tolerance 
        policy on sexual exploitation and abuse in United Nations 
        peacekeeping and humanitarian operations; and
            (3) supporting the expansion of the role and number of 
        female officers in all United Nations peacekeeping missions, 
        whether as military or police forces, civilian staff or 
        military observers.
    (d) Emergency Response to Credible Reports of Critical or 
Widespread Violence Against Women and Girls.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of State, acting through the 
        heads of relevant bureaus and offices of the Department of 
        State, shall--
                    (A) identify critical or widespread incidents of 
                violence against women and girls in situations of armed 
                conflict when such incidents occur, through 
                consultation with other Federal departments and 
                agencies, the United Nations, international 
                organizations, and nongovernmental organizations;
                    (B) determine emergency response measures not later 
                than 45 days after such identification; and
                    (C) brief Congress, upon request, on the 
                implementation of such emergency response measures and 
                outcomes not later than 90 days after such 
                determination.
            (2) Content.--The emergency measures developed under 
        paragraph (1) shall include a description of bilateral 
        diplomatic efforts with--
                    (A) the government of the country in which the 
                violence is occurring;
                    (B) governments in the region in which the violence 
                is occurring; and
                    (C) other donor governments.
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