tect women and children who are affected by a com-
plex humanitarian emergency; and 
(3) provide United States embassies and con-
sular posts with mechanisms to warn relief agencies 
of an impending complex humanitarian emergency. 
(c) NOTIFICATION.—Not later than 5 days after des-
ignating an official as a coordinator under subsection (a), 
the Secretary shall submit the name of such official to the 
appropriate congressional committees. 
TITLE II—PREVENTION AND 
PREPAREDNESS 
SEC. 201. FINDINGS. 
Congress makes the following findings: 
(1) The percentage of civilians killed and 
wounded as a result of hostilities has risen from 5 
percent of all casualties at the turn of the 19th cen-
tury to 65 percent during World War II and to 90 
percent in more recent hostilities. Women and chil-
dren comprise the majority of civilian deaths and the 
majority of all refugees from hostilities. 
(2) In the last decade alone, more than 
2,000,000 children have been killed during wars, 
while more than 4,000,000 have survived physical 
mutilation, and more than 1,000,000 have been or-
phaned or separated from their families as a result 
of war. 
(3) In many armed conflicts, soldiers have de-
stroyed food supplies and productive capacities, sto-
len donated food intended for women and children, 
and blocked the distribution of humanitarian aid. 
(4) During 2003, an estimated 300,000 chil-
dren have been compulsorily recruited into military 
operations around the world, including a large num-
ber of girls who have been forced to work as combat-
ants, cooks, messengers, spies, or sexual slaves for 
soldiers. 
(5) The use of rape, particularly against women 
and girls, is an increasingly common tactic in mod-
ern war. 
(6) The international community has a respon-
sibility pursuant to the Protocol Relating to the Sta-
tus of Refugees done at New York October 4, 1967 
(19 UST 6223), the Convention Relating to the Sta-
tus of Refugees done at Geneva July 28, 1951, and 
the Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian 
Persons in Time of War done at Geneva August 12, 
1949 (6 UST 3516), to take preventive action that 
would improve preparedness and reduce the vulner-
ability of women and children to violence and exploi-
tation. 
SEC. 202. EARLY WARNING AND EARLY ACTION SYSTEMS. 
(a) 
PREVENTIVE
ACTIONS.—Each 
coordinator 
shall—
(1) maintain a data base of information related 
to occurrences of gender-based violence or exploi-
tation of children during a complex humanitarian 
emergency; 
(2) develop, based on the information contained 
in the database required by paragraph (1) and other 
research—
(A) a list of early warning signs that indi-
cate there is a likelihood that gender-based vio-
lence or exploitation of children will occur dur-
ing a complex humanitarian emergency; and 
(B) a list, that is updated regularly, of 
countries or regions where there is an increased 
risk of gender-based violence or exploitation of 
children due to a complex humanitarian emer-
gency to enhance the preparedness of the 
United States Government or organizations 
funded by the United States Government to re-
spond to such an emergency;
(3) disseminate to United States embassies and 
consular posts the lists described in subparagraphs 
(A) and (B) of paragraph (2); 
(4) assist embassies and consular posts in re-
sponding to an increased risk of gender-based vio-
lence or exploitation of children that may occur dur-
ing a complex humanitarian emergency; 
(5) develop a procedure for nongovernmental 
organizations to report evidence of gender-based vio-
lence and exploitation of children, during a complex 
humanitarian emergency to ensure appropriate re-
sponse by United States officials; and 
(6) establish a reporting and monitoring system 
for United States diplomatic missions and consular 
posts and missions of the United States Agency for 
International Development to collect and submit to 
the coordinator standardized data on evidence that 
women and children are being targeted for or are at 
increased risk of violence or exploitation in complex 
humanitarian emergencies. 
(b) REPORTING AND MONITORING.—Not later than 
30 days after a country or region is placed on a list main-
tained under subsection (a)(1), each United States diplo-
matic mission and consular post located in such country 
or region shall submit to the appropriate coordinator a
description of the measures undertaken by such mission 
or post for the protection of women and children in the 
event of a complex humanitarian emergency. 
(c) DISSEMINATION
OF INFORMATION.—A coordi-
nator shall make available to the public, including to non-
governmental organizations located in areas where there 
is an increased risk of gender-based violence or exploi-
tation of children, the information, procedures, systems, 
and measures described in subsections (a) and (b). 
TITLE III—SECURITY FOR REF-
UGEE AND INTERNALLY DIS-
PLACED WOMEN AND CHIL-
DREN 
SEC. 301. FINDINGS. 
Congress makes the following findings: 
(1) Almost one-half of the world’s estimated 
37,500,000 refugees and internally displaced persons 
are children. 
(2) Food rations in camps for refugees and in-
ternally displaced persons are often limited and un-
predictable, and vulnerable women rarely have legiti-
mate opportunities to generate income or products 
to barter for additional food and other supplies. 
(3) Refugee women and girls face particular 
threats because of power inequities, including being
forced to exchange sex for food and humanitarian 
supplies, and being at increased risk of rape and 
gender-based violence due to poor security in refugee 
camps. 
(4) An investigation into sexual exploitation of 
refugees by aid workers in West Africa, conducted 
by the United Nations Office of Internal Oversight 
Services, found many factors that contribute to the 
exploitation and abuse of women and children in ref-
ugee situations, including—
(A) few women working in key positions in 
refugee relief efforts; 
(B) insufficient international staff presence 
in the camps; 
(C) isolation and lack of separate and dis-
tinctly placed sanitary facilities for men and 
women; 
(D) incomplete rations and delayed deliv-
ery of supplies to refugees; and 
(E) lack of punishment for perpetrators, 
including adult refugees, of sexual crimes 
against children in refugee situations. 
(5) Refugees and internally displaced persons 
living outside of camps experience a range of serious 
problems including vulnerability to harassment,
abuse, and exploitation by landlords and employers 
with little legal recourse, and constant threat of de-
tention, imprisonment, and deportation. 
(6) Existing nongovernmental organization and 
international agency policies, procedures, training 
programs, monitoring, and accountability mecha-
nisms have not protected displaced women and chil-
dren from exploitation and abuse, provided adequate 
assistance to survivors, or to disciplined offenders 
and achieved justice. 
(7) The limited presence of protection officers 
and other trained managerial staff of the United 
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in camps, 
especially at night, exacerbates the vulnerability of 
women and children to abuse by, in particular, fellow 
camp residents and nearby local residents. 
(8) In some circumstances, humanitarian agen-
cies have failed to make women and children aware 
of their rights to protection and assistance, to give 
them access to effective channels of redress, and to 
make humanitarian workers aware of their duty to 
respect these rights and provide adequate assistance. 
(9) The Inter-Agency Standing Committee has 
identified standards of behavior applicable to all of 
its personnel and is implementing a plan of action
related to protection from sexual exploitation and 
abuse to strengthen mechanisms for protecting those 
who depend on international aid. 
SEC. 302. CODES OF CONDUCT. 
(a) LIMITATION ON ASSISTANCE.—None of the funds 
made available by the Department of State through the 
Migration and Refugee Assistance account or the Emer-
gency Refugee and Migration Assistance account or by 
any provision of law for the purposes of the provision of 
assistance to refugees or internally displaced persons may 
be provided to an organization that has failed to adopt 
a code of conduct regarding the protection of beneficiaries 
of humanitarian assistance that incorporates the 6 core 
principles recommended by the Inter-Agency Standing 
Committee, as described in subsection (b). 
(b) CORE PRINCIPLES.—The 6 core principles for the 
protection of beneficiaries are as follows: 
(1) Sexual exploitation and abuse by humani-
tarian workers constitute acts of gross misconduct 
and are therefore grounds for termination of employ-
ment. 
(2) Sexual activity with persons under the age 
of 18 years is prohibited regardless of the age of 
majority or age of consent locally. Mistaken belief 
regarding the age of a child is not a defense.
(3) Exchange of money, employment, goods, or 
services for sex, including sexual favors or other 
forms of humiliating, degrading, or exploitative be-
havior, is prohibited. This includes exchange of as-
sistance that is due to beneficiaries. 
(4) Sexual relationships between the providers 
and beneficiaries of humanitarian assistance are 
strongly discouraged since they are based on inher-
ently unequal power dynamics. Such relationships 
undermine the credibility and integrity of humani-
tarian assistance work. 
(5) Whenever a humanitarian assistance worker 
develops concerns or suspicions regarding sexual 
abuse or exploitation by a fellow worker, whether in 
the same agency or not, the worker must report 
such concerns through established agency reporting 
mechanisms. 
(6) Humanitarian assistance agencies are 
obliged to create and maintain an environment that 
prevents sexual exploitation and abuse and promotes 
the implementation of their code of conduct. Man-
agers at all levels have particular responsibilities to 
support and develop systems that maintain this envi-
ronment.
SEC. 303. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING ADMINISTRA-
TION PRACTICES IN CAMPS FOR REFUGEES 
AND DISPLACED PERSONS. 
It is the sense of Congress that all agencies, including 
multilateral and nongovernmental agencies, implementing 
United States humanitarian assistance programs should 
conduct a thorough review of their administrative, man-
agement, and employment practices in refugee and dis-
placed persons camps for the purposes of—
(1) significantly increasing the number of 
women involved in the distribution of food and hu-
manitarian supplies; 
(2) expanding opportunities for women to gen-
erate legitimate income in the camps, including 
through employment in the camps; 
(3) educating providers and beneficiaries of hu-
manitarian assistance about the seriousness of gen-
der-based violence and exploitation of children; 
(4) improving expatriate supervision and moni-
toring of daily operations in the camps; 
(5) improving the design and logistics of camps 
to create a safer and more secure environment for 
women and children, including through consultation 
with female camp residents;
(6) keeping formal and detailed records, includ-
ing photographs, of locally hired staff, and ensuring 
that they are adequately paid and trained; 
(7) providing training for humanitarian assist-
ance workers on their obligations and responsibilities 
under a code of conduct; 
(8) developing systems of accountability to 
deter and punish gender-based violence, exploitation 
of children, and other protection violations including 
through identification of procedures for reporting 
and investigating allegations of abuse that protect 
the safety and confidentiality of the survivors; and 
(9) ensuring that applicants for jobs in camps 
are screened to prevent individuals who may have 
been involved in protection violations from being 
hired by camp authorities. 
SEC. 304. HEALTH SERVICES FOR REFUGEES AND DIS-
PLACED PERSONS. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find-
ings: 
(1) Complex humanitarian emergencies result in 
particular risks for women and girls. 
(2) Refugee and displaced women face height-
ened risks of developing complications during preg-
nancy, suffering a miscarriage, dying, being injured
during childbirth, becoming infected with HIV or 
another sexually transmitted infection, or suffering 
from posttraumatic stress disorder. 
(3) Despite the heightened risks for women 
during a complex humanitarian emergency, women’s 
needs for specialized health services have often been 
overlooked by donors and relief organizations, which 
are focused on providing food, water, and shelter. 
(4) Priority activities and emergency supplies 
designed to address life-threatening women’s health 
problems during a complex humanitarian emergency 
are often not implemented or made available in the 
early days and weeks of an emergency, the period 
when such activities and supplies are most needed 
and may be most effective. 
(b) PROVISION OF HEALTH SERVICES.—
(1) REQUIREMENTS.—Each coordinator shall—
(A) ensure that organizations funded by 
the United States that respond to a complex 
humanitarian emergency have the resources 
necessary to address the specific health needs of 
women affected by the emergency; and 
(B) identify an organization or individual 
to facilitate the coordination and implementa-
tion of the activities needed to respond to the
health needs of women as soon as practicable 
and not later than 30 days after the develop-
ment of a complex humanitarian emergency. 
(2) ACTIVITIES
DEFINED.—The activities re-
ferred to in paragraph (1)(B) include activities to—
(A) prevent and manage the consequences 
of sexual violence; 
(B) reduce transmission of HIV; 
(C) provide obstetric care; and 
(D) draft a plan to integrate women’s 
health services into the primary health care 
services provided during a complex humani-
tarian emergency, including—
(i) collection of background data on 
maternal, infant and child mortality, and 
the rate of HIV infection; 
(ii) identification of suitable sites for 
future delivery of women’s health services 
by addressing security problems, accessi-
bility for all potential users, privacy and 
confidentiality during visits, easy access to 
water and sanitation, appropriate space for 
users’ waiting time, and aseptic conditions; 
(iii) an assessment of the staff capac-
ity to provide women’s health services; and
(iv) a plan for staff training. 
(c) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated $12,000,000 for fiscal 
year 2004, and $14,000,000 for fiscal year 2005, to carry 
out subsection (b). The amounts authorized to be appro-
priated in this subsection are in addition to amounts ap-
propriated for such fiscal years to the Department of 
State for the Migration and Refugee Assistance account, 
the Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance ac-
count, or the International Disaster Assistance account. 
SEC. 305. WHISTLEBLOWER SYSTEM. 
(a) DESIGN
OF MODEL SYSTEM.—The Secretary 
should urge the United Nations High Commissioner for 
Refugees to work with nongovernmental organizations to 
design and implement a model ‘‘whistleblower’’ system 
under which humanitarian workers, refugees, and inter-
nally displaced persons can report instances of gender-
based violence or exploitation of children. Such a system 
should ensure that—
(1) reports of instances of gender-based violence 
or exploitation of children may be made confiden-
tially and without risk of retribution; 
(2) such reports are swiftly and thoroughly in-
vestigated and adjudicated; and
(3) appropriate disciplinary action is taken 
against a person found to have committed an act of 
gender-based violence or exploited a child. 
(b) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit a re-
port to the appropriate congressional committees on 
progress that has been made toward designing and imple-
menting the model whistleblower system described in sub-
section (a). 
SEC. 306. WOMEN’S ECONOMIC SELF-SUFFICIENCY. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find-
ings: 
(1) It is often difficult to determine when it is 
safe for women and children to return to a commu-
nity affected by a complex humanitarian emergency, 
and in many instances the affected women and chil-
dren remain refugees or internally displaced for con-
siderable periods of time. 
(2) To reduce vulnerability to exploitation and 
abuse, women who are uprooted from their commu-
nities must be given legitimate opportunities to gen-
erate income to support themselves and their fami-
lies. 
(3) In situations of long-term displacement, hu-
manitarian and development agencies should provide
legal assistance, technical and vocational training, 
and access to credit for women, so they can earn a 
safe and lawful livelihood. 
(b) WORK PERMITS.—The Department of State 
should work with host governments, the United Nations 
High Commissioner for Refugees, and other appropriate 
United Nations agencies to ensure that, in situations of 
long-term displacement, refugees and internally displaced 
persons are granted work permits and other necessary 
documentation by the host government and local authori-
ties to enable them to generate legitimate income. 
(c) AMENDMENTS
TO MICROENTERPRISE ACT
OF 
2000.—Section 102 of the Microenterprise for Self-Reli-
ance Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 2151f note) is amended—
(1) in paragraph (4)—
(A) by redesignating subparagraphs (B), 
(C), and (D) and subparagraphs (C), (D), and 
(E), respectively; and 
(B) by inserting after subparagraph (A) 
the following: 
‘‘(B) Women displaced by armed conflict are 
particularly at risk, lacking access to traditional live-
lihoods and means for generating income.’’; and 
(2) in paragraph (13)—
(A) by redesignating subparagraph (B) as 
subparagraph (C); and 
(B) by inserting after subparagraph (A) 
the following: 
‘‘(B) Particular efforts should be made to ex-
pand the availability of microcredit programs to in-
ternally displaced persons, who historically have not 
had access to such programs.’’. 
(d) AMENDMENTS
TO
THE FOREIGN ASSISTANCE 
ACT.—Chapter 1 of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act 
of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.) is amended—
(1) in section 108 (22 U.S.C. 2151f)—
(A) in subsection (b)(3), by inserting after 
‘‘microentrepeneurs’’ the following: ‘‘, with an 
emphasis on women microentrepeneurs,’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following new 
subsection: 
‘‘(g) REPORTING
REQUIREMENT.—The Adminis-
trator of the agency primarily responsible for admin-
istering this part, as part of the annual congressional pres-
entation documents of the agency, shall submit to Con-
gress a report that contains—
‘‘(1) an estimate of the number of women living 
below the national poverty line that have secured
loans or received training through the programs de-
scribed in this Act; 
‘‘(2) the percentage of women borrowers in pro-
grams funded by the agency under this Act; 
‘‘(3) the percentage of the total loan funds dis-
bursed by the agency under this Act that were made 
available to women borrowers; and 
‘‘(4) a discussion of the impact that such loans 
have had on the economic status of such women.’’; 
and 
(2) in section 131 (22 U.S.C. 2151a)—
(A) in subsection (b)(1)(D), by inserting 
before the period at the end the following: ‘‘, in-
cluding programs to eliminate legal and institu-
tional barriers to women’s ownership of assets, 
access to credit, and engagement in business 
activities within or outside of the home’’; 
(B) in subsection (b)(2)(C), by inserting 
before the period at the end the following: ‘‘, in-
cluding women’s organizations’’; and 
(C) in subsection (c)—
(i) by redesignating paragraphs (1), 
(2), (3), and (4) as subparagraphs (A), 
(B), (C), and (D), respectively, and re-
aligning such subparagraphs, as so redes-
ignated, four ems from the left margin; 
(ii) by striking ‘‘In order’’ and insert-
ing the following: 
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—In order’’; 
(iii) in subparagraph (D), as redesig-
nated by clause (i), by striking ‘‘paragraph 
(3)’’ and inserting ‘‘subparagraph (C)’’; 
and 
(iv) by adding at the end the following 
new paragraph: 
‘‘(2) DISAGGREGATION.—All goals, indicators, 
analyses, and recommendations required by this sec-
tion shall be disaggregated by sex.’’. 
(e) MICROFINANCE GRANTS.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Of the funds made available 
for the Department of State under section 135(b)(2) 
of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (as added by 
section 501 of this Act), $1,500,000 may be made 
available to provide grant assistance—
(A) to microfinance institutions for the 
purpose of expanding the availability of credit, 
savings, training, technical assistance, business 
development services, and other financial serv-
ices to very poor entrepreneurs, as defined in