[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 606 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 606

Expressing the sense of the Senate that the United States condemns all 
forms of violence against children globally and recognizes the harmful 
                 impacts of violence against children.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            August 15, 2018

   Mr. Boozman (for himself and Mr. Cardin) submitted the following 
  resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Expressing the sense of the Senate that the United States condemns all 
forms of violence against children globally and recognizes the harmful 
                 impacts of violence against children.

Whereas violence against children can take many forms, including sexual 
        violence, physical violence, emotional violence, abuse, neglect, and 
        exploitation;
Whereas, each year, more than 1,000,000,000 children worldwide are exposed to 
        violence;
Whereas, each year, the global economic impact of physical, psychological, and 
        sexual violence against children can be as high as $7,000,000,000,000, 
        which is 8 percent of global gross domestic product (referred to in this 
        preamble as ``global GDP'');
Whereas the economic costs of--

    (1) child labor amount to between 2.4 and 6.6 percent of global gross 
national income annually; and

    (2) child abuse amount to 4 percent of global GDP annually;

Whereas, around the world, nearly 1 in 3 adolescent girls between 15 and 19 
        years of age, or 84,000,000 girls, have been victims of emotional, 
        physical, or sexual violence, which is often perpetrated by individuals 
        the girls know;
Whereas 1 in 3 girls in the developing world is said to be married before 
        reaching 18 years of age and, of those girls, an estimated 1 in 9 is 
        said to be married before reaching 15 years of age;
Whereas, according to the United Nations Children's Fund (commonly known as 
        ``UNICEF''), if there is no reduction in the practice of child marriage, 
        the global number of women married in childhood will reach 1,200,000,000 
        by 2050, which will have devastating global consequences;
Whereas 246,000,000 boys and girls experience gender-based violence in schools 
        each year;
Whereas children with disabilities are 3 to 4 times more likely to experience 
        physical or sexual violence;
Whereas 168,000,000 children are involved in child labor and 5,500,000 children 
        are subject to forced labor, including in situations of trafficking;
Whereas nearly \1/2\ of the 65,000,000 individuals who, as of the date on which 
        this resolution is adopted, are displaced by conflict and war around the 
        world are children and displacement exposes those children to increased 
        risk of exploitation, violence, and abuse;
Whereas, according to the United Nations, from 2016 to 2017, verified cases of 
        child recruitment and participation in armed conflict--

    (1) quadrupled in the Central African Republic;

    (2) doubled in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and

    (3) persisted at alarming levels in Somalia, South Sudan, the Syrian 
Arab Republic, and Yemen;

Whereas unaddressed exposure to violence disrupts the development of critical 
        brain architecture and other organ structures, leaving children at 
        lifelong risk of disease and reduced potential;
Whereas studies show toxic stress relating to exposure to violent or dangerous 
        environments becomes damaging to learning, behavior, and health across a 
        lifespan;
Whereas violence against children can lead to negative health consequences, 
        including injury, noncommunicable and communicable diseases, and poor 
        maternal and child health outcomes;
Whereas, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and 
        Development, the United States invests 0.5 percent of official 
        development assistance in programs that are designed to prevent and 
        address violence against children and youth;
Whereas the United States, in coordination with public-private partnerships and 
        other organizations, has endorsed the technical package called 
        ``INSPIRE: Seven Strategies for Ending Violence against Children'' 
        (referred to in this preamble as ``INSPIRE'') put forth by the World 
        Health Organization;
Whereas INSPIRE contains 7 evidence-based strategies to end violence against 
        children that include--

    (1) implementing and enforcing relevant laws;

    (2) addressing harmful gender and other social norms;

    (3) creating and sustaining safe communities;

    (4) supporting parents and caregivers;

    (5) strengthening economic programs relating to reducing violence 
against children;

    (6) improving access to health services, social welfare, and criminal 
justice support; and

    (7) ensuring safe school environments that provide gender-equitable 
education and social-emotional learning and life skills trainings; and

Whereas the United States Agency for International Development, the Department 
        of State, the Department of Labor, the Department of Homeland Security, 
        and the Department of Health and Human Services play a critical role in 
        preventing and responding to violence against children and youth: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that the United 
States--
            (1) condemns all forms of violence against children and 
        youth globally, including physical, mental, and sexual 
        violence, neglect, abuse, maltreatment, and exploitation;
            (2) recognizes--
                    (A) the harmful impact that violence against 
                children and youth has on the healthy development of 
                children; and
                    (B) the harmful economic impact of violence against 
                children and youth; and
            (3) should--
                    (A) develop and implement a comprehensive and 
                coordinated strategy built on evidence-based practices, 
                including the technical package called ``INSPIRE: Seven 
                Strategies for Ending Violence against Children'' put 
                forth by the World Health Organization; and
                    (B) adopt common metrics and indicators to monitor 
                progress across Federal agencies to prevent, address, 
                and end violence against children and youth globally.
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