I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 571 
To improve United States consideration of, and strategic support for, pro-
grams to prevent and respond to gender-based violence beginning with 
the onset of humanitarian emergencies, to build the capacity of humani-
tarian assistance to address the immediate and long-term challenges 
resulting from such violence, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 28, 2021 
Ms. MENG (for herself, Mr. DIAZ-BALART, Ms. HOULAHAN, Mr. STEWART, 
Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida, Mr. CASE, Mr. PHILLIPS, Mr. MEEKS, 
Mr. CICILLINE, Ms. TITUS, Mr. DEUTCH, Mr. LOWENTHAL, Mr. TRONE, 
Ms. LEE of California, Ms. PINGREE, Mr. CONNOLLY, Ms. SPANBERGER, 
Mr. BILIRAKIS, Mr. COHEN, Mr. CA´RDENAS, Mr. EVANS, Ms. BASS, Ms. 
WILD, Mr. HASTINGS, Mr. CARBAJAL, Mr. GRIJALVA, Miss GONZA´LEZ- 
COLO´N, Mr. LAWSON of Florida, Mr. POCAN, Mrs. HAYES, Mr. MCGOV-
ERN, and Mr. CARSON) introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
A BILL 
To improve United States consideration of, and strategic 
support for, programs to prevent and respond to gender- 
based violence beginning with the onset of humanitarian 
emergencies, to build the capacity of humanitarian assist-
ance to address the immediate and long-term challenges 
resulting from such violence, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Safe from the Start 
Act of 2021’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Displaced, refugee, and stateless women and 
girls in humanitarian emergencies, conflict settings, 
and natural disasters face extreme violence and 
threats, including— 
(A) rape and sexual assault; 
(B) domestic or intimate partner violence; 
(C) child, early, and forced marriage; 
(D) trafficking for the purposes of sexual; 
(E) exploitation and forced labor; 
(F) harmful traditional practices such as 
female genital mutilation or cutting; and 
(G) harassment, exploitation, and abuse by 
humanitarian personnel. 
(2) Gender-based violence is known to increase 
during humanitarian emergencies. Violent acts such 
as intimate partner violence and child marriage that 
take place during times of stability are often exacer-
bated during times of crisis. 
(3) For example, according to the United Na-
tions Organization Stabilization Mission in the 
Democratic Republic of the Congo, there was an in-
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crease of 56 percent in reported cases of conflict-re-
lated sexual violence between 2016 and 2017. 
(4) Nearly 1 in 5 women report experiencing 
sexual violence during a humanitarian emergency. 
(5) Intimate partner violence is pervasive and 
becomes increasingly common during times of con-
flict and crisis. Residence in a conflict-affected dis-
trict is associated with a 50-percent increase in risk 
of intimate partner violence, and women who have 
experienced 4–5 cumulative years of conflict are al-
most 90 percent more likely to experience such vio-
lence than women who are not living in conflict set-
tings. 
(6) Child, early, and forced marriages increase 
during humanitarian crises and can be used as a 
tool of last resort to cope with economic hardship 
and to protect girls from increased violence. Conflict 
can exacerbate cultural norms of child, early, and 
forced marriage or create harmful cultural behaviors 
where they had not previously existed. 
(7) Women and girls are especially vulnerable 
to trafficking during humanitarian crises, particu-
larly by non-state armed groups who abduct and 
traffic women and girls for sexual exploitation, do-
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mestic servitude, and child, early, and forced mar-
riage, among other forms of exploitation. 
(8) The power imbalance between aid workers 
and displaced people, combined with the economic 
hardship caused by crises, creates markets for sexual 
exploitation and abuse that are too frequently 
abused by aid workers and peacekeepers seeking sex-
ual services from displaced or vulnerable people. 
(9) In 2018, the United Nations received a 
total of 148 sexual exploitation and abuse allegations 
directly involving United Nations aid workers, and 
111 involving staff from partner organizations im-
plementing United Nations programs. 
(10) According to United Nations High Com-
missioner for Refugees, while women and girls are 
most 
vulnerable 
to 
gender-based 
violence, 
marginalized populations are also at particular risk 
of gender-based violence in humanitarian crises, in-
cluding adolescent girls, older women, women and 
children with disabilities, sexual and gender minori-
ties, and female heads of households. 
(11) Gender-based violence is under-reported, 
both in times of stability and during crises. While 
data may not be immediately available in each crisis 
or conflict, evidence shows that gender-based vio-
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