III 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 375 

Supporting efforts to strengthen protection, assistance, and solutions for 

Venezuelan women and children. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 21, 2021 

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 

RESOLUTION 

Supporting efforts to strengthen protection, assistance, and 

solutions for Venezuelan women and children. 

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; 


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•SRES 375 IS 

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 

Eje ́rcito de Liberacio ́n 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 


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•SRES 375 IS 

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 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) expresses grave concern for the massive and 

3 growing humanitarian needs of Venezuelans, includ4 ing over 5,400,000 Venezuelan refugees and mi5 grants, with particular concern for the impact of the 

6 displacement crisis and the COVID–19 pandemic on 

7 women and children; 

8 (2) recognizes the many communities across 

9 Latin America and the Caribbean that continue to 

10 generously receive and host Venezuelan refugees and 

11 migrants while also fighting to recover from the 

12 COVID–19 pandemic; 


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•SRES 375 IS 

1 (3) commends the efforts of the Government of 

2 Colombia for granting Temporary Protected Status 

3 to Venezuelans, and calls on other refugee-hosting 

4 countries to consider similar protections for Ven5 ezuelans; 

6 (4) appreciates the participation in the Quito 

7 Process of the Governments of Argentina, Brazil, 

8 Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Repub9 lic, Ecuador, Guyana, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, 

10 Peru, and Uruguay, and encourages implementation 

11 of their commitments to strengthen national proc12 esses of documentation and registration and to bol13 ster protections for Venezuelan refugees and mi14 grants subject to gender-based violence, human traf15 ficking, and xenophobia; 

16 (5) encourages governments hosting Venezuelan 

17 refugees and migrants, as well as international and 

18 nongovernmental organizations providing assistance, 

19 to ensure that health care, including mental health, 

20 shelter, food assistance, and other basic services are 

21 increasingly accessible to women and children; 

22 (6) calls on the international community, in23 cluding both humanitarian and development actors, 

24 to focus greater attention and resources to address 

25 the violence, abuse, and exploitation suffered by 


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•SRES 375 IS 

1 Venezuelan women and children, including by disag2 gregating data by sex and age in needs assessments 

3 and program reporting; 

4 (7) supports increasing United States diplo5 matic initiatives and humanitarian assistance to 

6 strengthen protections for Venezuelan refugees and 

7 migrants and their host communities, with an em8 phasis on the protection of women and children; and 

9 (8) underscores the need for Venezuelan women 

10 to participate in efforts to restore democratic gov11 ernance and address the complex humanitarian crisis 

12 in Venezuela. 

Æ 


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