[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 261 Introduced in House (IH)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 261

 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United 
  States should work with the Government of Nepal to ensure that the 
 unique needs, vulnerabilities, and capacities of women and girls are 
considered and addressed in efforts to provide humanitarian relief and 
 assistance in reconstruction in the aftermath of the April 25, 2015, 
                              earthquake.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 13, 2015

    Mr. Honda (for himself, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, Ms. Norton, Ms. 
Schakowsky, Ms. Judy Chu of California, Ms. Bordallo, Mr. McGovern, Ms. 
 Lee, Ms. Plaskett, Mr. Al Green of Texas, Mr. Ted Lieu of California, 
Ms. DeLauro, Ms. Maxine Waters of California, Ms. McCollum, Mr. Polis, 
    Mr. Farr, Mr. Rangel, and Mr. Grayson) submitted the following 
   resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United 
  States should work with the Government of Nepal to ensure that the 
 unique needs, vulnerabilities, and capacities of women and girls are 
considered and addressed in efforts to provide humanitarian relief and 
 assistance in reconstruction in the aftermath of the April 25, 2015, 
                              earthquake.

Whereas a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the country of Nepal on April 25, 
        2015;
Whereas millions of Nepali citizens have been displaced and reside in temporary 
        shelters and the earthquake has affected an estimated 126,000 pregnant 
        women;
Whereas women and girls are disproportionately impacted by natural disasters and 
        that displacement settings exacerbate preexisting inequalities, render 
        women and girls even more vulnerable, and create greater barriers in 
        their ability to benefit from relief, recovery, and long-term 
        reconstruction and development efforts;
Whereas humanitarian response in previous emergencies has shown that gender-
        based violence (GBV)--particularly sexual violence--increases in the 
        immediate aftermath of an emergency, in addition to sexual exploitation 
        and abuse, human trafficking, forced prostitution, and forced marriage, 
        and must therefore be prioritized at the onset of the response;
Whereas the United Nations and other humanitarian response organizations have 
        reported inequitable distribution of assistance to displaced populations 
        based on identity factors including gender;
Whereas the United Nations and other humanitarian response organizations have 
        reported a lack of sanitary pads and clothing for women and girls across 
        the affected districts and indicated the need for dedicated spaces for 
        women in internal displacement camps to provide protection and special 
        services including psychosocial support;
Whereas the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 
        reported that the Government of Nepal's Central Child Welfare Board has 
        received reports of sexual and other GBV cases in the Kathmandu camps;
Whereas the Government of Nepal has made significant efforts to combat violence 
        against women such as the introduction of the Domestic Violence Act and 
        National Strategy and Plan of Action on violence against women;
Whereas the Interim Constitution of Nepal (2007) prohibits physical, mental, or 
        any other form of violence against women and declares that such acts 
        shall be punishable by law and the Gender Equality Act of 2006 
        established sexual violence as a crime punishable by varying years of 
        imprisonment, depending on the age of the victim;
Whereas evidence demonstrates that empowering women through post-disaster 
        reconstruction can benefit recovery outcomes and increase women's 
        social, economic, and political rights;
Whereas girls' educational opportunities in emergencies are more limited than 
        boys' and ensuring that girls are able to continue their education in 
        post-disaster and displacement settings is vital to economic recovery 
        and reconstruction;
Whereas the United Nations and donor countries, including the United States will 
        continue to play a significant role in post-earthquake stabilization and 
        reconstruction of Nepal;
Whereas the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has 
        prioritized the prevention of and response to GBV in its work across all 
        sectors and as an explicit goal of the USAID Gender Equality and Female 
        Empowerment Policy;
Whereas USAID and the United States Department of State have been directed by 
        Executive orders of the President to implement an interagency United 
        States Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based Violence Globally 
        and a National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security; and
Whereas it is the policy of the United States to implement the Safe from the 
        Start initiative to prevent and respond to GBV in humanitarian 
        emergencies worldwide to reduce the incidence of GBV by ensuring quality 
        services for survivors from the very onset of emergencies through timely 
        and effective humanitarian action: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) expresses deep sympathy to the people of Nepal for the 
        terrible loss of life, displacement, and massive destruction as 
        a result of the earthquake;
            (2) expresses solidarity with the people of Nepal and 
        continued commitment to provide essential assistance to help 
        Nepal recover from this tragedy;
            (3) expresses continuing support for relief and 
        reconstruction assistance provided by relief agencies and the 
        international community;
            (4) urges the treatment of the issues of gender equality, 
        female empowerment, and preventing and addressing gender-based 
        violence (GBV) against women and children as a priority for the 
        United States Government's humanitarian relief and recovery 
        efforts in Nepal;
            (5) recognizes the commitment of the United States 
        Government to the promotion of local solutions and building the 
        capacity of grassroots organizations, particularly those led by 
        women and other marginalized groups, through activities 
        including the meaningful participation of women and girls in 
        needs assessments, program design and implementation, and 
        monitoring and evaluation;
            (6) recognizes that GBV is a human rights violation that 
        must be effectively addressed;
            (7) affirms that prioritizing safe educational and economic 
        opportunities for Nepali women and young and adolescent girls 
        that enable them to lift themselves and their families out of 
        poverty is a cost-effective way to help reduce GBV;
            (8) recognizes the absolute necessity of prioritizing the 
        protection and empowerment of women, young children, and 
        adolescents in the post-disaster setting through efforts of the 
        United States Government, relief agencies, and the 
        international community;
            (9) recognizes the urgent opportunity to fully and 
        effectively implement the interagency Safe from the Start 
        program and the policies that inform it, including the United 
        States Agency for International Development (USAID) Gender 
        Equality and Female Empowerment Policy, United States Strategy 
        to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based Violence Globally, and 
        National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security;
            (10) urges implicated United States agencies to fund and 
        implement programs that are consistent with the Inter-Agency 
        Standing Committee Guidelines on Gender-Based Violence in 
        Humanitarian Settings and build on best practices and lessons 
        learned in implementation of Safe from the Start and related 
        protection; and
            (11) affirms a deep commitment to the promotion of gender 
        equality and the empowerment of women and girls through United 
        States-led post-disaster recovery and reconstruction activities 
        to promote equitable economic recovery and the realization of 
        social, economic, and political rights.
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