Kaine & Tillis Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Counter Violence in the Western Hemisphere

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee responsible for the Western Hemisphere, Human Rights and Global Women’s Issues, and U.S. Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC), Co-Chair of the Senate Human Rights Caucus, introduced the Countering Violence in the Western Hemisphere Act, bipartisan legislation to mitigate violence in the Western Hemisphere—including intimate partner violence, sexual assault and harassment, femicide, and other crimes such as sex and labor trafficking. 17 of the 25 countries in the Western Hemisphere have the highest rates of femicide in the world. This violence is often perpetrated by partners, gangs, and drug traffickers, and many countries in the hemisphere do not have local law enforcement or criminal justice system capacity to adequately and urgently address it. This violence destabilizes communities and is a root cause of migration from Central America.

“Gender-based violence is both an urgent human rights issue and a critical national security challenge for the United States because it contributes directly to instability and migration,” said Kaine. “We need to do more to ensure all people can live in communities free of violence and wanton criminality, hold the perpetrators of such violence accountable, and help our regional partners sustainably stem critical drivers of mass migration. This bipartisan legislation will help us do that.”

“The United States must work to end violence against women and children globally, and play a proactive role in addressing this crisis,” said Tillis. “By empowering local law enforcement and community organizations in Latin and South America, we can help break the cycle of violence, ensure accountability, and provide victims with the support they deserve. This legislation reaffirms our commitment to safeguarding the most vulnerable and advancing human rights across the globe."

Specifically, the bipartisan Countering Violence in the Western Hemisphere Act would support foreign assistance programs and diplomatic initiatives to counter these types of violence in the Western Hemisphere by:

• Codifying the reporting of gender-based violence in the State Department’s annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices.
• Urging the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to direct funding to local women-led non-profit organizations and partners that are focused on countering violence against women and children, supporting survivors, boosting economic empowerment and security of women, and expanding resources to prevent violence in the Western Hemisphere.
• Expanding and strengthening the implementation of financial savings groups for women such as Village Loan Savings Associations.
• Strengthening State Department and USAID collaboration with local law enforcement and criminal justice agencies to conduct training to report, prevent, investigate, and prosecute instances of gender-based violence in the Western Hemisphere.
• Increasing U.S. contributions to the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women.
• Expanding research partnerships and educational exchange opportunities for scholars, researchers, and students to engage with nongovernmental organizations and private sector institutions that work on issues relating to violence against women and children.
• Requiring State and USAID to formally assess the impact of these types of violence in driving migration, and identifying strategic gaps in the U.S. response.

Full text of the bill is available here.

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