I 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1191 

To ensure effective implementation of the Child Soldier Prevention Act of 

2008 and hold governments accountable for involving children in armed 

conflict activities, whether as combatants, servants, or sex slaves. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 16, 2017 

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey (for himself, Ms. WILSON of Florida, Mr. 

HULTGREN, Mr. MCGOVERN, and Mr. WEBER of Texas) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

A BILL 

To ensure effective implementation of the Child Soldier Prevention Act of 2008 and hold governments accountable 

for involving children in armed conflict activities, whether 

as combatants, servants, or sex slaves. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Child Soldier Preven5 tion Act of 2017’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) The recruitment or use of children in armed 

2 conflict is unacceptable for any government or gov3 ernment supported entity receiving United States as4 sistance. 

5 (2) The recruitment or use of children in armed 

6 conflict, including direct combat, support roles, and 

7 sexual slavery, continued during 2015–2016 in Af8 ghanistan, South Sudan, Sudan, Burma, the Demo9 cratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Nigeria, Rwanda, So10 malia, Syria, and Yemen. 

11 (3) Police forces of the Government of Afghani12 stan participate in counter-terrorism operations, di13 rect and indirect combat, security operations, fight 

14 alongside regular armies, and are targeted for vio15 lence by the Taliban as well as by other opposition 

16 groups. 

17 (4) Entities of the Government of Afghanistan, 

18 particularly the Afghan Local Police and Afghan 

19 National Police, continue to recruit children to serve 

20 as combatants or as servants, including as sex 

21 slaves. 

22 (5) In February 2016, a 10-year-old boy was 

23 assassinated by the Taliban after he had been pub24 lically honored by Afghan local police forces for his 

25 assistance in combat operations against the Taliban. 


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1 (6) Recruitment and use of children in armed 

2 conflict by government forces has continued in 2016 

3 in South Sudan with the return to hostilities. 

4 (7) At least 650 children have been recruited 

5 and used in armed conflict in South Sudan in 2016, 

6 and at least 16,000 have been recruited since the 

7 country’s civil war began in 2013. 

8 SEC. 3. AMENDMENTS TO THE CHILD SOLDIERS PREVEN9 TION ACT OF 2008. 

10 (a) DEFINITIONS.—Section 402(2)(A) of the Child 

11 Soldiers Prevention Act of 2008 (22 U.S.C. 2370c(2)(A)) 

12 is amended by inserting ‘‘, police, or other security forces’’ 

13 after ‘‘governmental armed forces’’ each place it appears. 

14 (b) PROHIBITION.—Section 404 of the Child Soldiers 

15 Prevention Act of 2008 (22 U.S.C. 2370c–1) is amend16 ed— 

17 (1) in subsection (a)— 

18 (A) by inserting ‘‘, police, or other security 

19 forces’’ after ‘‘governmental armed forces’’; and 

20 (B) by striking ‘‘recruit and use child sol21 diers’’ and inserting ‘‘recruit or use child sol22 diers’’; 

23 (2) in subsection (b)(2) to read as follows: 

24 ‘‘(2) NOTIFICATION.—Not later than 45 days 

25 after the date of submission of the report required 


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1 under section 110(b) of the Trafficking Victims Pro2 tection Act of 2000, the Secretary of State— 

3 ‘‘(A) shall formally notify any government 

4 included in the list required under paragraph 

5 (1); and 

6 ‘‘(B) shall notify the appropriate congres7 sional committees that the requirements of sub8 paragraph (A) have been met.’’; 

9 (3) in subsection (c)(1), by adding at the end 

10 before the period the following: ‘‘and certifies to the 

11 appropriate congressional committees that such gov12 ernment is taking effective and continuing steps to 

13 address the problem of child soldiers’’; and 

14 (4) in subsection (e)(1), by striking ‘‘for inter15 national military education, training, and’’ and in16 serting ‘‘under section 541 of the Foreign Assistance 

17 Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2347) through the Defense 

18 Institute for International Legal Studies or the Cen19 ter for Civil-Military Relations at the Naval Post20 Graduate School and provide’’. 

21 (c) REPORTS.—Section 405 of the Child Soldiers Pre22 vention Act of 2008 (22 U.S.C. 2370c–2) is amended— 

23 (1) in subsection (c)— 


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1 (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 

2 by striking ‘‘, during any of the 5 years fol3 lowing the date of the enactment of this Act,’’; 

4 (B) by redesignating paragraphs (2) 

5 through (4) as paragraphs (3) through (5), re6 spectively; 

7 (C) by inserting after paragraph (1) (as so 

8 amended) the following: 

9 ‘‘(2) a description and the amount of any as10 sistance withheld under this title pursuant to the ap11 plication to those countries of the prohibition in sec12 tion 404(a);’’; and 

13 (D) in paragraph (5) (as so redesignated), 

14 by inserting ‘‘and the amount’’ after ‘‘a descrip15 tion’’; and 

16 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

17 ‘‘(d) INFORMATION TO BE INCLUDED IN ANNUAL

18 TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS REPORT.—If a country is noti19 fied pursuant to section 404(b)(2), or a waiver is granted 

20 pursuant to section 404(c)(1), the Secretary of State shall 

21 include in the report required under section 110(b) of the 

22 Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 

23 7107(b)) the information required to be included in the 


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1 annual report to Congress under paragraphs (1) through 

2 (5) of subsection (c).’’. 

Æ 


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