I 
111TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4594 
To combat international violence against women and girls. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 4, 2010 
Mr. DELAHUNT (for himself, Mr. POE of Texas, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Ms. 
MOORE of Wisconsin, Ms. DELAURO, Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland, Ms. 
LEE of California, Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas, Ms. WOOLSEY, Ms. WAT-
SON, Mr. HARE, Mr. WELCH, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. ELLISON, Ms. SLAUGH-
TER, Mr. CARNAHAN, Mr. POLIS of Colorado, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE 
JOHNSON of Texas, Mrs. MALONEY, Mr. RUSH, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. FIL-
NER, Mr. MOORE of Kansas, Mr. BERMAN, Mr. MAFFEI, and Ms. 
MCCOLLUM) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Armed 
Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 
each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdic-
tion of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To combat international violence against women and girls. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘International Violence Against Women Act of 2010’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows: 
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Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Findings. 
Sec. 3. Statement of policy. 
Sec. 4. Definitions. 
TITLE I—INTERNATIONAL PREVENTION OF VIOLENCE AGAINST 
WOMEN AND GIRLS 
Subtitle A—Official Positions and Institutional Changes 
Sec. 101. Office for Global Women’s Issues. 
Sec. 102. Office for Women’s Global Development. 
Subtitle B—Strategy, Policy, and Programs 
Sec. 111. Comprehensive international strategy to reduce and prevent violence 
against women and girls. 
Sec. 112. Assistance to reduce international violence against women and girls. 
Sec. 113. Ensuring accountability of the United States’ response to violence 
against women and girls internationally. 
Sec. 114. Enhancing United States training of foreign military and police 
forces and judicial officials on preventing and responding to vi-
olence against women and girls. 
Sec. 115. Addressing violence against women and girls in humanitarian relief, 
peacekeeping, conflict, and post-conflict operations. 
TITLE II—OTHER PROVISIONS 
Sec. 201. Support for multilateral efforts to end violence against women and 
girls. 
Sec. 202. Funding limitation. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress makes the following findings: 
(1) According to the United Nations, approxi-
mately 1 out of every 3 women in the world has been 
beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her 
lifetime. The World Health Organization reports 
that in some countries, up to 70 percent of women 
report having been victims of domestic violence at 
some stage in their lives. 
(2) According to the United Nations, engaging 
both men and women in all efforts to end violence 
against women and girls internationally should be a 
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priority. In recognition of this, United Nations Sec-
retary-General Ban Ki-moon launched a multi-year 
campaign in 2009 to end violence against women 
and pledge resources to engage male leaders and 
mobilize men and boys. 
(3) Violence against women dramatically im-
pedes progress in meeting global health goals, in-
cluding efforts to stem maternal mortality and the 
spread of HIV/AIDS. Approximately 1 in 4 women 
are abused during pregnancy, which, according to 
the World Health Organization, has been linked to 
miscarriage, pre-term labor, low birth weight and 
fetal distress or death. Women who have experienced 
violence are also at higher risk for contracting HIV, 
and women living with HIV may be up to three 
times more likely to experience violence than HIV- 
negative women. Fear of violence also prevents 
women from accessing HIV/AIDS information and 
receiving treatment and counseling. 
(4) Women’s increased access to economic op-
portunities is crucial to the prevention of and re-
sponse to domestic and sexual violence. Both micro-
finance-based interventions and increased asset con-
trol have been shown to reduce levels of intimate 
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partner violence in addition to providing economic 
independence for survivors. 
(5) Displaced, refugee, and stateless women and 
girls in humanitarian emergencies, conflict settings, 
and natural disasters face extreme violence and 
threats because of power inequities, including being 
forced to exchange sex for food and humanitarian 
supplies, and being at increased risk of rape, sexual 
exploitation, and abuse. 
(6) Rape and sexual assault against women and 
girls are used to torture, intimidate, and terrorize 
women and their communities. 
SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 
It is the policy of the United States to— 
(1) systematically integrate and coordinate ef-
forts to prevent and respond to violence against 
women and girls internationally into United States 
foreign policy and foreign assistance programs, and 
to expand implementation of effective practices and 
programs; 
(2) promote women’s political, economic, edu-
cational, social, cultural, civil, and human rights and 
opportunities throughout the world; 
(3) support and build the capacity of indigenous 
nongovernmental organizations that are working to 
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prevent and respond to violence against women and 
girls internationally, particularly women’s non-
governmental organizations, and to support and en-
courage United States organizations working in 
partnership with such nongovernmental organiza-
tions; 
(4) prevent and respond to violence against 
women and girls internationally through multisec-
toral methods, working at individual, family, commu-
nity, local, national, and international levels and in-
corporating service, prevention, training, and advo-
cacy activities and economic, education, health, legal, 
and protective intervention services; 
(5) enhance training and other prevention and 
response to violence against women and girls inter-
nationally in humanitarian relief, conflict, and post- 
conflict settings; 
(6) enhance training by United States personnel 
of professional foreign military and police forces and 
judicial officials to include specific and thorough in-
struction on preventing and responding to violence 
against women and girls internationally; 
(7) increase communication and cooperation 
with nongovernmental organizations with dem-
onstrated experience in empowerment of women and 
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combating violence against women and girls inter-
nationally, including consulting with such organiza-
tions during strategic planning exercises; 
(8) more regularly engage men and boys as 
community leaders and advocates in ending violence 
against women and girls; 
(9) ensure private security firms contracted for 
service in conflict, humanitarian and post-conflict 
settings appropriately report on and respond to vio-
lence against women and girls internationally; and 
(10) continue United States leadership and in-
novative efforts at the United Nations to address vi-
olence against women and girls internationally, par-
ticularly through urging the United Nations Sec-
retary-General and United Nations member states to 
fully implement the provisions of United Nations Se-
curity Council Resolutions 1325, 1820, and 1888 
and other relevant United Nations agreements and 
initiatives. 
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) ELIGIBLE COUNTRIES.—The term ‘‘eligible 
countries’’ means countries that are not classified as 
high-income countries in the most recent edition of 
the World Development Report for Reconstruction 
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