Title: Condemning the rape and assault of women by Russian forces in the occupied area of Bucha, Ukraine, and calling on Vladimir Putin and the Russian Federation to remove all Russian forces from Ukraine, and to cease all hostilities, protect human rights, and allow the free flow of aid.
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
This resolution condemns the rape and assault of women by Russian forces in the occupied area of Bucha, Ukraine.
The resolution condemns the deliberate disruption of the free flow of humanitarian aid that is harming innocent civilians, particularly women.
The resolution also highlights the critical importance of ensuring women meaningfully participate in the planning and execution of humanitarian actions and the negotiation of peace agreements to meet their unique needs and to protect their human rights.
Finally, the resolution calls on Vladimir Putin to

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1057 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1057

   Condemning the rape and assault of women by Russian forces in the 
occupied area of Bucha, Ukraine, and calling on Vladimir Putin and the 
 Russian Federation to remove all Russian forces from Ukraine, and to 
cease all hostilities, protect human rights, and allow the free flow of 
                                  aid.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 14, 2022

Ms. Kaptur (for herself, Mrs. Spartz, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mr. Quigley, Ms. 
 Speier, Mrs. Napolitano, Mr. Carson, Mr. Keating, Mr. Wilson of South 
 Carolina, Mrs. Dingell, Mr. Higgins of New York, Ms. Schakowsky, Ms. 
 DeLauro, Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney of New York, Ms. Adams, Mr. Vargas, 
 Ms. Titus, Mr. Cardenas, Ms. Lois Frankel of Florida, Mrs. Lawrence, 
Ms. Lee of California, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Mrs. Trahan, Mr. Costa, Ms. 
Velazquez, Ms. Matsui, Mr. Cohen, Ms. Eshoo, Ms. Strickland, Mr. Lynch, 
  Mr. Doggett, Ms. Stevens, Ms. Williams of Georgia, Ms. Slotkin, Ms. 
Ross, Mr. Krishnamoorthi, Mr. Levin of Michigan, Ms. Norton, Mr. Himes, 
  Mr. Torres of New York, Mr. Swalwell, Ms. Jacobs of California, Mr. 
  Trone, Ms. Brown of Ohio, Mr. Brendan F. Boyle of Pennsylvania, Ms. 
Kuster, Mr. McEachin, Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick, Mr. Blumenauer, and Ms. 
Jackson Lee) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                    the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Condemning the rape and assault of women by Russian forces in the 
occupied area of Bucha, Ukraine, and calling on Vladimir Putin and the 
 Russian Federation to remove all Russian forces from Ukraine, and to 
cease all hostilities, protect human rights, and allow the free flow of 
                                  aid.

Whereas the ongoing war in Ukraine that started in 2014 with Russia's illegal 
        annexation of Crimea is impacting Ukrainians' safety, health, and human 
        rights, particularly those of women;
Whereas, on March 21, 2022, the United Nations Special Representative of the 
        Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict called upon all parties 
        to the war in Ukraine to ensure the protection of all civilians, 
        especially women and girls who are at heightened risk for sexual 
        violence;
Whereas, on April 4, 2022, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights 
        said that ``it is vital that all efforts are made to ensure there are 
        independent and effective investigations into what happened in Bucha to 
        ensure truth, justice and accountability, as well as reparations and 
        remedy for victims and their families'';
Whereas Human Rights Watch has documented several cases of Russian forces 
        committing violations of the laws of war against civilians in occupied 
        areas of the Chernihiv, Kharkiv, and Kyiv regions of Ukraine;
Whereas, on April 5, 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the 
        United Nations Security Council that ``Russia's men had tortured 
        civilians and raped women in front of their children'';
Whereas, on April 3, 2022, the Department of State strongly condemned the 
        atrocities by the Russian forces in Bucha and across Ukraine;
Whereas, due to Putin's deliberate disruption of the free flow of humanitarian 
        aid, many displaced civilians are sheltering in unfinished or damaged 
        buildings, thus increasing risks of gender-based violence and the spread 
        of infectious diseases; and
Whereas, on April 1, 2022, Amnesty International reported that violence against 
        women knows few bounds and that ``violence against women is a violation 
        of human rights that cannot be justified by any political, religious, or 
        cultural claim'': Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) condemns the rape and assault of women by Russian 
        forces in the occupied area of Bucha, Ukraine;
            (2) urges the prosecution, by the appropriate authorities, 
        of those responsible for ordering or carrying out the violence 
        in Ukraine;
            (3) condemns the deliberate disruption of the free flow of 
        humanitarian aid that is harming innocent civilians, 
        particularly women;
            (4) reaffirms the importance of diplomatic pressure on all 
        parties to the conflict to fulfill their obligations under 
        international human rights and humanitarian law, and allow 
        unencumbered access for humanitarian responders to provide aid 
        to people impacted by the violence;
            (5) highlights the critical importance of ensuring women 
        meaningfully participate in--
                    (A) the planning and execution of humanitarian 
                actions; and
                    (B) the negotiation of peace agreements to meet 
                their unique needs and to protect their human rights; 
                and
            (6) calls on Vladimir Putin to--
                    (A) condemn sexual and gender-based violence 
                against women and girls in this conflict;
                    (B) hold all perpetrators who commit acts of sexual 
                and gender-based violence accountable;
                    (C) cease all hostilities, protect human rights, 
                and allow unencumbered humanitarian access; and
                    (D) remove all Russian Armed Forces, and other 
                armed groups, from Ukraine.
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