[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 164 (Thursday, October 17, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5900-S5901]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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  SENATE RESOLUTION 360--AFFIRMING THE IMPORTANCE OF ACCESS TO SAFE, 
QUALITY EDUCATION, INCLUDING PROTECTION FROM ATTACKS ON EDUCATION, FOR 
                     CHILDREN IN CONFLICT SETTINGS

  Mr. MURPHY submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 360

       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

[[Page S5901]]

     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 Senate--
       (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.

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