IV 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 723 

Encouraging all nations to end sexual violence against girls through incountry data-driven reforms as demonstrated by multiple African nations. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 20, 2019 

Ms. WILD (for herself, Ms. FRANKEL, Ms. NORTON, Mr. SENSENBRENNER, 

Ms. VELA ́ZQUEZ, Mr. PAPPAS, Mr. PAYNE, Ms. LEE of California, Ms. 

BROWNLEY of California, Ms. HOULAHAN, Mr. KEATING, Mrs. WATSON

COLEMAN, Mr. TED LIEU of California, Ms. WILSON of Florida, Ms. 

JACKSON LEE, Mr. TRONE, Ms. ESCOBAR, Mrs. DINGELL, and Mr. 

COSTA) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Education and Labor, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 

Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within 

the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

RESOLUTION 

Encouraging all nations to end sexual violence against girls 

through in-country data-driven reforms as demonstrated 

by multiple African nations. 

Whereas the 2006 United Nations World Report on Violence 

Against Children galvanized many nations in their commitment to face the challenge of ending all violence, including sexual violence, against children in stating, ‘‘No 

violence is justifiable, and all violence is preventable.’’; 


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Whereas sexual violence against girls is a domestic and international plague that spares no culture, country, race, religion, or ethnicity; 

Whereas data from United Nations Children’s Fund indicate 

up to 50 percent of sexual assaults worldwide are committed against girls under 16 years of age; 

Whereas sexual violence against girls and the lifelong consequences impede their potential contributions to society 

and present a major obstacle for nations in the journey 

to self-reliance with political and economic stability; 

Whereas the African population is predicted to double by the 

year 2050, resulting in the increased potential of an estimated population of 2,500,000,000 with more than 50 

percent of the population 18 years of age or younger; 

Whereas realizing the full potential of all Africans requires 

eliminating gender inequities in education; 

Whereas sexual violence against children and adolescents perpetuates intergenerational poverty through factors including increased school absenteeism, decreased years in 

school, and early childbearing; 

Whereas the economic growth of Africa is around 3 percent 

per year, and 4 of the top 10 countries with the fastest 

growing economies are on the African continent including 

Ethiopia, Ghana, Coˆte d’Ivoire, and Mozambique; 

Whereas Africa could realize a 2 percent to 2.5 percent 

growth in the annual per capita gross domestic product 

through a 1-year increase in the average education attained per child; 

Whereas sexual violence during childhood is associated with 

serious immediate and long-term health impacts including 

but not limited to higher rates of pregnancy, maternal 


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mortality, suicide, depression, substance abuse, heart disease, obesity, and HIV/AIDS; 

Whereas girls ages 15 through 19 have the highest risk of 

experiencing sexual violence and currently account for 75 

percent of new HIV infections in sub-Saharan Africa totaling 1,000 newly infected young women each day; 

Whereas complications of pregnancy and childbirth are the 

leading cause of death among girls 15 to 19 years of age 

in sub-Saharan Africa where 90 percent of adolescent 

pregnancies are associated with child marriage; 

Whereas female genital mutilation/cutting (referred to in this 

resolution as ‘‘FGM/C’’), an invasive procedure with no 

medical necessity, represents a form of gender-based discrimination, is recognized internationally as a violation of 

the human rights of girls and women and can be recognized as sexual violence; 

Whereas over 200,000,000 women and girls living today endured the irreversible procedure FGM/C and according to 

the World Health Organization, over 3,900,000 additional girls are at risk of suffering FGM/C each year; 

Whereas FGM/C causes irreparable deformation, pain, bleeding, and increased risk of HIV infection, and can result 

in complications such as shock, fistulas, complications of 

childbirth, and death; 

Whereas sexual violence against children, as defined by the 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (referred to 

in this resolution as the ‘‘CDC’’), includes all forms of 

sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children. This encompasses a range of acts, including completed nonconsensual sex acts (such as rape), attempted nonconsensual sex acts, abusive sexual contact (such as unwanted 


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touching), and noncontact sexual abuse (such as threatened sexual violence, exhibitionism, verbal sexual harassment, and use of explicit images); 

Whereas recognizing the need for data and evidence to guide 

actions to end violence against children, the CDC 

partnered with United Nations Children’s Fund (referred 

to in this resolution as ‘‘UNICEF’’) Swaziland (now 

Eswatini) and the Government of Eswatini to develop 

and implement the scientifically sound surveillance tool, 

Violence Against Children and Youth Surveys (referred to 

in this resolution as ‘‘VACS’’); 

Whereas VACS are nationally representative household surveys designed to define the magnitude, nature, and consequences of sexual, physical, and emotional violence 

among children and adolescents; 

Whereas the governments of 22 nations including 14 African 

nations (Botswana, Coˆte d’Ivoire, Eswatini, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, 

Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe) demonstrated leadership in addressing the pandemic of sexual 

violence against girls through the implementation of 

VACS with technical support from the CDC and coordination from multistakeholders including UNICEF, Together for Girls, and others; 

Whereas VACS data from over 30,000 respondents in Africa 

revealed— 

(1) over 25 percent of girls and 10 percent of boys 

experienced sexual violence before the age of 18 years; 

(2) for 1 in 4 girls, their first sexual intercourse experience was forced or coerced; 

(3) the most common perpetrators of sexual violence 

are people known to the victims; 


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(4) only about half of the victims of childhood sexual 

violence tell anyone; 

(5) fewer than 10 percent of assaulted girls and 7 

percent of assaulted boys sought care services and received them; 

(6) 1 of 3 girls who experienced unwanted sex became pregnant before the age of 18 years; 

(7) two-thirds of boys who experience sexual violence 

report mental distress later in life; and 

(8) sexual violence against children and adolescents 

was associated with a 370-percent increase in the incidence of HIV infection, a 350-percent increase in the incidence of unwanted pregnancies, and a 200-percent increase in attempted suicide; 

Whereas country-specific surveillance data from VACS were 

analyzed by scientists at the CDC and presented to the 

government-led, public and private multistakeholder, incountry team to catalyze the formation of the individual 

nationwide action plans; 

Whereas the formation of data-driven action plans utilizes 

INSPIRE, a World Health Organization technical package of proven strategies to reduce violence, including— 

(1) implementation and enforcement of laws; 

(2) norms and values; 

(3) safe environments; 

(4) parent and caregiver support; 

(5) income and economic strengthening; 

(6) response and support services; and 

(7) education and life skills; 

Whereas INSPIRE guided action plans resulting in significant progress in strengthening protection for youth included— 


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(1) in response to a 38-percent prevalence of childhood sexual violence among girls, the Government of 

Eswatini drafted the first law in their country making 

sexual abuse of minors illegal; 

(2) several countries used the data to improve services for victims by establishing advocacy centers where 

health, legal, and social services could be accessed; 

(3) countries such as Tanzania and Nigeria, where 

violence in schools was noted to be high, developed policies, codes, and protective guidelines for teachers and 

schools; and 

(4) reforms in Uganda, including expansion of the 

No Means No! program to 20,000 adolescent girls and 

implementation of the Coaching Boys into Men program, 

contributed to a significant decrease in the incidence of 

rape; 

Whereas the followup household surveillance, VACS, thus far 

completed in Kenya and Zimbabwe, revealed a significant 

decrease in sexual violence among children and adolescents after data-driven reforms were instituted; 

Whereas sexual violence, common in the United States and 

around the globe at times of peace, occurs with increased 

incidence in settings of conflict, migration, internal displacement, and institutionalization where it is known to 

be used to intimidate, subjugate, and instill fear; 

Whereas survivors in these adverse settings commonly experience collective abandonment and an entrenched impunity 

of their perpetrators; and 

Whereas the strong association between experiencing violence 

in childhood and later perpetrating violence highlights the 

importance of comprehensive interventions for both survivors and perpetrators: Now, therefore, be it 


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1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep2 resentatives that the United States— 

3 (1) recognizes that sexual violence against girls 

4 remains a devastating global health, human rights, 

5 and economic problem that is both unjustifiable and 

6 preventable and impedes peace and security; 

7 (2) recognizes the leadership of African nations 

8 using data-driven, in-country, government-led, multi9 sector reform to end sexual violence against girls; 

10 (3) encourages the commitment of all nations to 

11 address the United Nations Sustainable Develop12 ment Goals including goal 16.2, ‘‘End abuse, exploi13 tation, trafficking and all forms of violence against 

14 and torture of children’’, goal 5, ‘‘Achieve gender 

15 equality and empower all women and girls’’, and 

16 goal 5.3, ‘‘Eliminate all harmful practices, such as 

17 child, early and forced marriage and female genital 

18 mutilations’’; 

19 (4) encourages all nations to put into place 

20 proven methods and tools such as VACS, a proven 

21 household surveillance tool, and INSPIRE, an evi22 dence-based technical package of strategies, to gen23 erate and implement government-led, data-driven, 

24 comprehensive, multisector response plans to end 

25 sexual violence against girls; 


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1 (5) encourages the establishment of multidisci2 plinary and integrated systems in every country to 

3 ensure that laws are put into place to protect girls 

4 and that these laws are enforced by a trained and 

5 supported criminal justice system; 

6 (6) encourages increased global and domestic 

7 efforts to eliminate FGM/C; 

8 (7) encourages funding for further research on 

9 the global magnitude, scope, consequences including 

10 health, social and economic burdens, and prevention 

11 of sexual violence among all children including more 

12 vulnerable populations such as children who are dis13 abled, institutionalized, or homeless, children living 

14 as refugees, or internally displaced persons, and chil15 dren living in areas of conflict; 

16 (8) encourages the establishment of safe, sur17 vivor-centered spaces, and advocacy centers for co18 ordination of health, psychologic, and other services 

19 for survivors and their families; 

20 (9) encourages the adaptation and application 

21 of the VACS technique in humanitarian contexts to 

22 acquire relevant data for analysis to drive planning; 

23 and 

24 (10) encourages domestic use of the proven sur25 vey and technical tools VACS and INSPIRE to adVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:39 Nov 21, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR723.IH HR723

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1 dress sexual violence against girls in the United 

2 States. 

Æ 


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