Protecting Girls’ Access to Education in Vulnerable Settings Act

Summary: .  Protecting Girls' Access to Education in Vulnerable Settings Act or the Protecting Girls' Access to Education Act  (Sec. 3) This bill expresses 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 U.S. foreign assistance policies and programs.   (Sec. 5) The Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) may advance programs that:   provide safe, primary and secondary education for displaced children;  build the capacity of institutions in countries hosting displaced people to prevent displaced children from facing educational discrimination; and  help increase the access of displaced children, especially girls, to educational, economic, and entrepreneurial opportunities.   The State Department and USAID may:   coordinate with multilateral organizations to work with foreign governments to collect relevant data, disaggregated by age and gender, on the ability of displaced people to access education and participate in economic activity; and  work with domestic and foreign private sector and civil society organizations to promote safe, primary and secondary education for displaced children.   (Sec. 6) The State Department and USAID shall include in any congressional report relating to a foreign assistance program for natural or man-made disaster relief: (1) a breakdown of program beneficiaries by location, age, gender, marital status, and school enrollment status; (2) a description of how such program benefits displaced people; and (3) a description of any primary or secondary educational services supported by such program that specifically address the needs of displaced girls.

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 million 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 million 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 million 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 2 
        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 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 5-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.

            Passed the House of Representatives October 3, 2017.

            Attest:

                                                 KAREN L. HAAS,

                                                                 Clerk.