[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 163 (Tuesday, September 21, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6591-S6592]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 375--SUPPORTING EFFORTS TO STRENGTHEN PROTECTION , 
      ASSISTANCE, AND SOLUTIONS FOR VENEZUELAN WOMEN AND CHILDREN

  Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Cardin, Mr. 
Kaine, and Mr. Cassidy) submitted the following resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 375

       Whereas the Venezuelan refugee and migration crisis 
     represents the largest recorded displacement crisis in the 
     Western Hemisphere, with over 5,400,000 Venezuelans displaced 
     outside of their home country as of November 2020;
       Whereas one-third of Venezuelans are food insecure, with 
     the greatest impacts on children, pregnant women, and the 
     elderly, according to the World Food Program;
       Whereas femicides in Venezuela have increased significantly 
     in recent years due to rises in criminal violence, intimate 
     partner violence, human trafficking, endemic corruption, and 
     lack of accountability for criminal offenses;
       Whereas the dire state of Venezuela's public health system, 
     including extremely high maternal and infant mortality rates, 
     has compelled women and girls to flee the country to give 
     birth;
       Whereas a 2019 report from the United Nations Population 
     Fund stated that 95 in every 1,000 births in Venezuela from 
     2003 to 2018 were to mothers aged 15 to 19;
       Whereas women and girls fleeing Venezuela face grave 
     threats of sexual violence, exploitation, and trafficking by 
     armed groups operating in border regions, such as the 
     Ejercito de Liberacion Nacional (ELN).
       Whereas, after fleeing the horrors in Venezuela, Venezuelan 
     refugees and migrants face additional challenges, including 
     lack of access to safe shelter, jobs, documentation, 
     healthcare, and increased restrictions on freedom of 
     movement;
       Whereas governments in Latin America and the Caribbean 
     participating in the regional coordination forum, the ``Quito 
     Process,'' issued a joint declaration in November 2019 
     committing to strengthen measures against human trafficking, 
     gender-based violence, discrimination, and xenophobia, and to 
     establish a regional protection protocol for Venezuelan 
     refugee and migrant children and adolescents;
       Whereas, on February 8, 2021, the Government of Colombia 
     provided Temporary Protected Status to eligible Venezuelans 
     in Colombia--providing them temporary legal status and work 
     authorization for a period of 10 years;
       Whereas, on March 8, 2021, the United States designated 
     Venezuela for Temporary Protected Status and provided 
     Deferred Enforced Departure for eligible Venezuelans on 
     January 19, 2021;
       Whereas the United States has committed to strengthen 
     international protection of women and children through the 
     United States Strategy on Women, Peace, and Security, which 
     aims to ``promote the protection of women and girls' human 
     rights; access to humanitarian assistance; and safety from 
     violence, abuse, and exploitation around the world,'' as well 
     as through the United States Government Strategy on Advancing 
     Protection and Care for Children in Adversity; and
       Whereas the United States has prioritized addressing the 
     issue of gender-based violence in humanitarian contexts by 
     establishing a Safe from the Start initiative, implemented by 
     the Department of State and the United States Agency for 
     International Development: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) expresses grave concern for the massive and growing 
     humanitarian needs of Venezuelans, including over 5,400,000 
     Venezuelan refugees and migrants, with particular concern for 
     the impact of the displacement crisis and the COVID-19 
     pandemic on women and children;
       (2) recognizes the many communities across Latin America 
     and the Caribbean that continue to generously receive and 
     host Venezuelan refugees and migrants while also fighting to 
     recover from the COVID-19 pandemic;
       (3) commends the efforts of the Government of Colombia for 
     granting Temporary Protected Status to Venezuelans, and calls 
     on other refugee-hosting countries to consider similar 
     protections for Venezuelans;

[[Page S6592]]

       (4) appreciates the participation in the Quito Process of 
     the Governments of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa 
     Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guyana, Mexico, 
     Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay, and encourages 
     implementation of their commitments to strengthen national 
     processes of documentation and registration and to bolster 
     protections for Venezuelan refugees and migrants subject to 
     gender-based violence, human trafficking, and xenophobia;
       (5) encourages governments hosting Venezuelan refugees and 
     migrants, as well as international and nongovernmental 
     organizations providing assistance, to ensure that health 
     care, including mental health, shelter, food assistance, and 
     other basic services are increasingly accessible to women and 
     children;
       (6) calls on the international community, including both 
     humanitarian and development actors, to focus greater 
     attention and resources to address the violence, abuse, and 
     exploitation suffered by Venezuelan women and children, 
     including by disaggregating data by sex and age in needs 
     assessments and program reporting;
       (7) supports increasing United States diplomatic 
     initiatives and humanitarian assistance to strengthen 
     protections for Venezuelan refugees and migrants and their 
     host communities, with an emphasis on the protection of women 
     and children; and
       (8) underscores the need for Venezuelan women to 
     participate in efforts to restore democratic governance and 
     address the complex humanitarian crisis in Venezuela.

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