[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 11]
[House]
[Pages 15417-15420]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    PROTECTING GIRLS' ACCESS TO EDUCATION IN VULNERABLE SETTINGS ACT

  Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 2408) to enhance the transparency, improve the 
coordination, and intensify the impact of assistance to support access 
to primary and secondary education for displaced children and persons, 
including women and girls, and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 2408

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

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Protecting Girls' Access to 
     Education in Vulnerable Settings Act'' or the ``Protecting 
     Girls' Access to Education Act''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds the following:
       (1) At the start of 2017, more than 65,000,000 people have 
     been displaced by disasters and conflicts around the world, 
     the highest number recorded since the end of World War II, of 
     which more than 21,000,000 people are refugees.
       (2) More than half of the population of displaced people 
     are children and, according to the United Nations High 
     Commissioner for Refugees, nearly 4,000,000 school-aged 
     displaced children lack access to primary education.
       (3) Education offers socioeconomic opportunities, 
     psychological stability, and physical protection for 
     displaced people, particularly for women and girls, who might 
     otherwise be vulnerable to severe forms of trafficking in 
     persons (as such term is defined in section 103(9) of the 
     Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 
     7103(9))), child marriage, sexual exploitation, or economic 
     disenfranchisement, and contributes to long-term recovery and 
     economic opportunities for displaced people and for the 
     communities hosting them.
       (4) Displaced children face considerable barriers to 
     accessing educational services and, because the duration of 
     such displacement is, on average, 20 years, such children may 
     spend the entirety of their childhood without access to such 
     services.
       (5) Despite the rising need for such services, less than 
     two percent of global emergency aid was directed toward 
     educational services in 2016.

     SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

       It is the sense of Congress that--
       (1) it is critical to ensure that children, particularly 
     girls, displaced by conflicts overseas are able to access 
     educational services because such access can combat extremism 
     and reduce exploitation and poverty; and
       (2) the educational needs of vulnerable women and girls 
     should be considered in the

[[Page 15418]]

     design, implementation, and evaluation of related United 
     States foreign assistance policies and programs.

     SEC. 4. STATEMENT OF POLICY.

       It is the policy of the United States to--
       (1) partner with and encourage other countries, public and 
     private multilateral institutions, and nongovernmental and 
     civil society organizations, including faith-based 
     organizations and organizations representing parents and 
     children, to support efforts to ensure that displaced 
     children have access to safe primary and secondary education;
       (2) work with donors to enhance training and capacity-
     building for the governments of countries hosting significant 
     numbers of displaced people to design, implement, and monitor 
     programs to effectively address barriers to such education;
       (3) incorporate into the design and implementation of such 
     programs measures to evaluate the impact of the programs on 
     girls, with respect to the reduction of child marriage, 
     gender-based violence, and severe forms of trafficking in 
     persons (as such term is defined in section 103(9) of the 
     Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 
     7103(9))); and
       (4) coordinate with the governments of countries hosting 
     significant numbers of displaced people to--
       (A) promote the inclusion of displaced children into the 
     educational systems of such countries; and
       (B) develop innovative approaches to providing safe primary 
     and secondary educational opportunities in circumstances in 
     which such inclusion is not possible or appropriate, such as 
     schools that permit more children to be educated by extending 
     the hours of schooling and expanding the number of teachers.

     SEC. 5. UNITED STATES ASSISTANCE TO SUPPORT EDUCATIONAL 
                   SERVICES FOR DISPLACED CHILDREN.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary of State and the 
     Administrator of the United States Agency for International 
     Development are authorized to prioritize and advance ongoing 
     efforts to support programs that--
       (1) provide safe primary and secondary education for 
     displaced children;
       (2) build the capacity of institutions in countries hosting 
     displaced people to prevent discrimination against displaced 
     children, especially displaced girls, who seek access to such 
     education; and
       (3) help increase the access of displaced children, 
     especially displaced girls, to educational, economic, and 
     entrepreneurial opportunities, including through the 
     governmental authorities responsible for educational or youth 
     services in such host countries.
       (b) Coordination With Multilateral Organizations.--The 
     Secretary and the Administrator are authorized to coordinate 
     with the World Bank, appropriate agencies of the United 
     Nations, and other relevant multilateral organizations to 
     work with governments in other countries to collect relevant 
     data, disaggregated by age and gender, on the ability of 
     displaced people to access education and participate in 
     economic activity, in order to improve the targeting, 
     monitoring, and evaluation of related assistance efforts.
       (c) Coordination With Private Sector and Civil Society 
     Organizations.--The Secretary and the Administrator are 
     authorized to work with private sector and civil society 
     organizations to promote safe primary and secondary education 
     for displaced children.

     SEC. 6. REPORT.

       During the five-year period beginning on the date of the 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary and the Administrator 
     shall include in any report or evaluation submitted to 
     Congress relating to a foreign assistance program for natural 
     or manmade disaster relief or response the following 
     information (to the extent practicable and appropriate):
       (1) A breakdown of the beneficiaries of such program by 
     location, age, gender, marital status, and school enrollment 
     status.
       (2) A description of how such program benefits displaced 
     people.
       (3) A description of any primary or secondary educational 
     services supported by such program that specifically address 
     the needs of displaced girls.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Royce) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Sires) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.


                             General Leave

  Mr. ROYCE of California. I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to 
include any extraneous material in the Record.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, first, I would like to recognize Congressman Steve 
Chabot and Congresswoman Robin Kelly on the Foreign Affairs Committee 
for their work on this important issue of protecting girls and 
protecting their access to education, especially in vulnerable 
settings.
  We all know that education is a critical driver of upward social 
mobility for these young girls, for economic growth, for overall 
stability in terms of a society. As we confront an increasing number of 
conflicts around this globe, education has got to remain a very key 
component of U.S. foreign assistance.
  Around the world today, there are 27 million children who are out of 
school in conflict zones. Half of all children in refugee camps do not 
have access to primary education.
  With many recent conflicts that have lasted, now, a decade, we are 
now seeing entire generations of children that fail to receive even the 
most basic education; and even if they are eventually able to return 
home, they carry back those deficits in terms of what they have not 
learned, and those deficits can last a lifetime. So this is a 
humanitarian crisis with real strategic implications.
  In Syria, for example, an estimated 4 million children are out of 
school in an environment warped by constant violence. Refugee children 
outside of Syria are placing tremendous strains on the educational 
systems, and I have seen this in countries like Jordan, in Lebanon, in 
Turkey.
  As we have seen in crisis situations around the world, the lack of 
stable educational opportunities make these children more vulnerable: 
more vulnerable, especially for girls, to exploitation; more 
vulnerable, especially for boys, to radicalization.
  Girls face unique barriers to education in conflict zones. In these 
afflicted countries, girls are 2\1/2\ times more likely than young boys 
to be out of school. They frequently encounter cultural barriers that 
prevent them from seeking an education, and they often lack safe routes 
to that little school and back home from that school.
  Promoting girls' access to education reduces their risk of falling 
victim to gender-based violence or to early marriage or to human 
trafficking. It is also the just thing to do.
  H.R. 2408, the Protecting Girls' Access to Education in Vulnerable 
Settings Act, authorizes the State Department and authorizes USAID to 
enhance existing education programs for displaced children and to 
especially be engaged with girls.
  The bill calls on the State Department and USAID to coordinate 
efforts with the private sector as well, with civil society groups, 
with multilateral organizations, to collect relevant data to improve 
the effectiveness of these programs that we are engaged in.
  Finally, the bill would require that the State Department and the 
USAID include data on education programs for displaced children in any 
report to Congress on disaster relief and recovery efforts so that we 
are aware that they are engaged in addressing this issue.
  We must strengthen the role of education in humanitarian assistance. 
Refugees and other displaced persons live on a knife edge of despair. 
Without access to education, children in conflict zones, especially 
girls, are more exposed to violence, to exploitation, and even to 
radicalization.
  By helping to realize their innate potential, education gives these 
children hope, hope for today, and it gives them critical skills for 
tomorrow so that they can contribute to their homes, their communities, 
and so that they can contribute to the next generation. Mr. Speaker, I 
urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SIRES. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this measure, and I 
yield myself as much time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank our chairman on the Foreign Affairs 
Committee, Ed Royce, and our ranking member, Eliot Engel, as well as 
the authors of this bill, Mr. Chabot of Ohio and Ms. Kelly of Illinois. 
Both of these Members have worked hard on the bill to expand access to 
education around the world. I agree with them that this is an important 
priority for our foreign policy.

[[Page 15419]]

  When children are able to get basic education, it pays massive 
dividends down the road. Those girls and boys grow up with great 
opportunity, and they play a bigger role in their economies and their 
communities.
  We have seen research that, when children can learn about certain 
issues like nonviolent civic engagement, support for violence drops. 
That adds up to stronger and more stable countries and better partners 
for the United States.
  Children belong in a classroom, Mr. Speaker, no matter where they 
happen to be born, but in too many places, that access just doesn't 
exist. What happens then?
  We know in places like the Middle East, in north Africa, violent 
extremists are happy to fill in the void, to recruit and indoctrinate 
the next generation with their hateful and violent ideology. This 
problem is especially acute among refugees of displaced populations.
  Mr. Speaker, 3.7 million schoolchildren under the U.N. refugee 
agency's mandate have no school to go to. Some countries are trying to 
tackle this challenge, like Lebanon, where the government has taken 
steps to enroll Syrian refugees in schools, but the need is just too 
great. Out of 500,000 school-age refugees, nearly half are out of 
school.
  This bill aims to help address those really desperate situations. It 
calls for the USAID to ramp up access to these children, and 
particularly young girls. It will help us gather more data to assist 
government and NGOs that are also grappling with this problem, and it 
authorizes the Secretary of State and the USAID Administrator to 
prioritize this issue, to work with multilateral organizations, and to 
seek out partners in the private sector and civil society that will 
bring innovative new approaches to expanding access to education. This 
bill will put more young girls in the classroom in places around the 
world where this help is badly needed. I am glad to support it.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1430

  Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Chabot), who is on the Committee on Foreign 
Affairs, and is the author of this legislation.
  Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, Chairman Royce has been a strong proponent 
of this, as has Eliot Engel. I want to especially thank Robin Kelly for 
her leadership on this.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2408, a bipartisan bill 
that aims to provide a safe education for millions of children, 
especially girls, who live in the most dangerous and unstable places 
across the globe.
  As a parent and now a grandparent, a former teacher, I know that 
education physically and mentally empowers our children.
  Unfortunately, millions of children receive no education due to the 
circumstances which are beyond their control. This is particularly true 
for the growing number of displaced people across the world, as it is 
exceedingly difficult for children in conflict zones to receive a 
primary or secondary education. Armed conflicts across the world, 
particularly in places like Syria and now Burma, have led to the 
internal displacement of millions of women and children, and forced 
them to literally flee their own homes.
  There are currently 65 million people displaced worldwide, and at 
least 21 million are refugees. They are out of their own countries. 
This is the highest number since World War II, and the number has been 
steadily rising since 2011.
  Many of the displaced people are survivors of human rights abuses and 
violence. Half of these victims are under 18 years of age. They are 
children and in the most formative years of their lives. If they are 
not given the opportunity to succeed, they will be subjected to a 
lifetime of conflict and instability.
  Education is a key component to helping lift these vulnerable 
children out of the depths of poverty. Access to education not only 
gives children the opportunity to grow and learn, but also offers 
safety and shelter from violence, extremist ideology, human trafficking 
networks, and a relentless cycle of abuse.
  There is no question that access to education provides stability and 
consistency to children living in extremely unstable conditions, 
especially girls.
  That is why I introduced H.R. 2408, the Protecting Girls' Access to 
Education in Vulnerable Settings Act, along with Robin Kelly from 
Illinois. I again want to thank Chairman Royce and Ranking Member Eliot 
Engel for their leadership in this area.
  This bipartisan legislation will move us in the right direction by 
making access to primary and secondary education a priority with our 
State Department and USAID. It aims to directly benefit displaced 
children, specifically girls, and will help to address one of the 
world's greatest challenges facing refugees across the globe.
  This legislation also encourages greater international coordination 
and leverages existing resources by promoting education for refugees 
where they are through local schools.
  The Protecting Girls' Access to Education in Vulnerable Settings Act 
will ensure that millions of child refugees will have an opportunity to 
reach their highest potential, even those in the most tumultuous 
conditions.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
  Mr. SIRES. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Ms. Frankel), my colleague on the Foreign Affairs Committee 
and a real champion for women and girls.
  Ms. FRANKEL of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague and the 
leaders of our committee for their bipartisan efforts. It is very 
appreciated.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bipartisan legislation that 
directs the State Department and USAID to support programs and educate 
displaced children, with a special focus on girls.
  When you look at the horrors of the world, from South Sudan to Burma, 
to Syria, think about the fact that there are 55 million displaced 
children, 28 million refugee children that have been uprooted from 
their homes due to violence and poverty, and making up half of all the 
refugees.
  Here is the thing. What happens when a young person has no hope, no 
education, no future potential of a good job to one day take care of 
their family? Will they become victims of trafficking or vibrant 
members of society? Will these millions of children become our friends 
or foes? Will the communities they live in be our trading partners or 
havens for terrorists?
  Around the world, only a quarter of refugee children are enrolled in 
secondary school, and the number, as my colleagues have pointed out, is 
even worse for girls. Just seven girls for every ten refugee boys are 
enrolled in secondary school. We are talking about a lost generation.
  In Syria alone, over 5,000 schools have been destroyed. Just ask a 
young lady named Muzoon. She is known as the Malala of Syria. At age 
15, she fled her besieged home in Syria. When she was told to bring 
only her essentials, she packed a suitcase full of books because she 
knows, ``That education is a shield that we can use to protect 
ourselves in life.'' She even went door to door in refugee camps to 
convince parents to keep their daughters in school instead of 
pressuring them into early marriage.
  Muzoon knows and we know that when girls are educated, they lead to 
healthier, more productive lives that enhance the economy and the 
peacefulness of their societies.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this fine legislation.
  Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen), who chairs the Foreign 
Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Royce; Ranking Member 
Engel; and, in this case, especially Congressman Albio Sires, the 
ranking member of the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, for once 
again helping to bring another important bipartisan Foreign Affairs 
measure to the House floor.

[[Page 15420]]

  Mr. Speaker, I am a proud cosponsor of the Protecting Girls' Access 
to Education in Vulnerable Settings Act. My good friend, Steve Chabot, 
has been a real leader in Congress when it comes to ensuring that girls 
around the world have the opportunity to achieve a better future for 
themselves through access to education.
  Mr. Speaker, I am a former Florida certified teacher. I understand 
the value of education. Mr. Sires from New Jersey is also a former 
teacher. We heard from Mr. Chabot, who is also a former teacher. We 
understand how important education is to future success.
  Right now, sadly, Mr. Speaker, there are 65 million displaced people 
around the world, and about half of that population is under 18. This 
bill before us prioritizes State and USAID efforts to support access to 
primary and secondary education for displaced children, with a 
specificity to helping displaced girls.
  Unfortunately, sometimes young girls fall victim to exploitation, to 
trafficking, or they get married off, sold off, without having the 
opportunity to determine their own future; something that we might take 
for granted in this glorious country. That is why Mr. Chabot's bill is 
so important. We need to reach out to those young girls. We need to 
have them have access to primary and secondary education so that they 
can increase their own chances for a prosperous future, Mr. Speaker.
  Access to education, I know, empowers young people, and it will 
especially empower young girls. It will offer them a chance at 
socioeconomic opportunities that heretofore have been closed to them. 
It offers them stability. It offers them empowerment.
  Mr. Speaker, we have got to pass Mr. Chabot's bill. We have got to do 
more to ensure that displaced people, especially young girls, have 
access to education. I urge my colleagues to support this important 
measure. I urge our partners in responsible nations around the world to 
join us in prioritizing our efforts toward access to education for all.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Royce and Mr. Engel, and I especially thank 
my good friend from New Jersey (Mr. Sires).
  Mr. SIRES. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I am also a former certified teacher, and expanding 
access to education is critical in combating terrorism. When we 
increase opportunities through education, we help more girls and boys 
by giving them the tools to think critically and resist those who mean 
to harm us. We are helping to give these children an alternative with 
the possibility of positioning them to make further positive impact on 
their communities and their countries.
  Time and time again we have seen the results of what happens when 
children are not provided a better path: extremism, radicalism, and 
terrorism.
  This is one of our best opportunities to provide a more safe and 
secure world not only for them, but also for us, too.
  Mr. Speaker, again, I thank Congressman Chabot and Congresswoman 
Kelly for their hard work. I support this bill, and I urge all Members 
to do the same.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, we are surrounded here by former teachers today who have 
brought this bill, who have worked with us to bring this bill to the 
House floor, and we understand their impulse to reach out to these 
young children and try to see to it that they have an equal chance out 
in the world.
  This is something that teachers do, and this focus on young girls, 
especially young girls in the most vulnerable situation, as a result of 
conflict in those regions making them at risk for trafficking, for 
exploitation or being child brides, these former teachers understand 
the importance of having a program directed specifically to this 
problem.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Chabot); the 
gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Kelly.); certainly, Albio Sires, our 
ranking member on the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee; and Ms. Ros-
Lehtinen, of course, as chairman, for helping to ensure that 
international humanitarian efforts are prioritizing this issue of 
access to education for girls.
  By improving coordination between the State Department, USAID, the 
private sector, and multilateral organizations, what this bill is going 
to do is to improve the chances that these young lives will be able to 
blossom above the ashes of war, above these conflicts that rage in 
these spots around the world, so that they might reach their full 
potential. If they do, they will be able to help the next generation.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask every Member for their support, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Royce) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 2408.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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