Expressing Sense of House That the United States Condemns All Forms of Violence Against Children Globally

Floor Speech

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Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me the time and for his leadership on programs that protect and address the needs of vulnerable children here at home and around the world.

Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to be the author of this bipartisan resolution, along with Congressman Joe Wilson. And I am very proud of the 62 bipartisan cosponsors on this bill who represent the geographic and ideological diversity of this House.

I also thank the broad coalition of organizations that have worked so long in support of this resolution, in particular, ChildFund, Save the Children, World Vision, Futures Without Violence, and UNICEF USA.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a letter supporting this resolution from these groups and others. January 31, 2020. Hon. Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Hon. Steny Hoyer, Majority Leader, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Hon. Kevin McCarthy, Minority Leader, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader Hoyer, and Minority Leader McCarthy: As organizations committed to the protection and health of children around the globe, we kindly request that the House of Representatives approve on suspension of the rules H. Res. 230, a Congressional Resolution to End Violence Against Children Globally. Our community is proud of the strong bipartisan support that H. Res. 230 has received in Congress since it was introduced by Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA) and Congressman Joe Wilson (R-SC) on March 14, 2019. It is currently cosponsored by a bipartisan group of more than 60 Members of Congress and was previously approved by the House Committee on Foreign Affairs on October 30, 2019.

Half of all children--one billion--are victims of violence each year and every five minutes, a child dies as a result. Forms of violence include, but are not limited to, human trafficking, child marriage, child labor, homicide, and online exploitation and sexual abuse. Early exposure to violence can impair children's brain development and damage their circulatory, reproductive, and immune systems, causing life-long risk of disease and reduced potential. The global economic cost of violence against children has been measured to be as high as $7 trillion dollars or 8% of the world's GDP annually.

Fortunately, the United States Government is uniquely positioned to drive efforts to prevent and respond to violence against children. Federal government agencies like USAID, the State Department and the Department of Labor are already hard at work serving the world's children. However, these efforts are done without optimal coordination between agencies or an overarching, government-wide strategy.

The Congressional Resolution to End Violence Against Children Globally (H. Res. 230/S. Res. 112) recognizes the harmful impacts of violence and calls upon Congress to develop and implement a coordinated strategy based on proven practices. The resolution highlights the INSPIRE framework-- seven key evidence-based strategies to end violence against children. INSPIRE, developed in collaboration with the CDC, USAID, and others, provides common metrics and indicators which can measure and monitor progress.

Over the years, the U.S. Government has demonstrated its commitment to the health and well-being of children. Providing safety and security for vulnerable children supports U.S. efforts to address violence and mitigate its impacts, therein bolstering other anti-poverty international development efforts, including education, health, and economic well-being. Building upon the work of the U.S. Government's Strategy on Advancing Protection and Care for Children in Adversity, passage of H. Res. 230 would enhance existing government efforts to address pervasive violence against children.

We thank you in advance for your consideration of H. Res. 230. We urge you to support these one billion children and support passage of this important resolution. Sincerely,

American Academy of Pediatrics, ChildFund International, Futures Without Violence, Save the Children, UNICEF USA, World Vision, Bethany Christian Services, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Feed the Children, Food for the Hungry, Global Campaign for Education-US, GlobalPartnersUnited, Islamic Relief USA, RESULTS, RISE Institute, SPOON Foundation.

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Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, even though we have made great strides in identifying and addressing much of the violence that affects children and young people around the world, the sad reality is that violence against children is still pandemic.

Every 5 minutes, a child dies of violence. Half of all children--1 billion--are victims of violence. Homicide is among the top causes of death in adolescents.

That is not just a shame, Mr. Speaker. That is absolutely unacceptable.

Mr. Speaker, 80 percent of those homicide victims are boys, and nearly one in five girls is sexually abused at least once in her life.

Mr. Speaker, sadly, violence can happen anywhere--in communities, in schools, in the home, in emergency and crisis situations, in churches, on the streets, online, and on the phone. It happens in the most idyllic-seeming neighborhood and in the midst of conflict and war.

Violence takes many forms: human trafficking, child marriage, child labor, murder, assault, beatings, psychological abuse, and online exploitation. And too much of the violence is based on gender.

We know that children who are exposed to violence at a very young age can be affected for life. Violence can impair brain development. It could damage the circulatory and immune systems.

Such violence can cause lifelong risks of being vulnerable to disease, illness, and disabilities. It can harm the ability to reproduce and engage in a full sexual life. It can severely affect the ability of a child to live up to their full potential.

Luckily, nations, healthcare providers, teachers, communities, and nongovernmental groups have come together to end violence against children. They have identified and agreed upon some solutions to ending violence against children.

We in this House should be proud that the CDC, USAID, World Health Organization, and others have developed what is called the INSPIRE package, which is a set of strategies to reduce and end violence against children everywhere.

So many of us in this Chamber are parents. I am the father of a son and a daughter. I know how we worry about our children's safety and well-being. This is true of all families everywhere. In many ways, each and every child is our child. We need to be concerned about their vulnerability, about their safety, about their care, and about their protection.

This resolution announces to the world that we are aware; that we do care; and, more importantly, that we want our health and aid agencies to take action.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this resolution, and I thank my colleagues for their support.

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