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Bill to Provide Vital Protection for Women and Children in Armed Conflict

New York, NY

A new bill designed to protect women and children in armed conflict introduced today by Senator Joe Biden (D-DE) will ensure that the U.S. government makes the protection of women and children a priority in all stages of conflict. The safety and security of those affected by war has traditionally taken a back seat to the more traditional humanitarian assistance focused on food, medical care and shelter. Without protection from violence and exploitation, however, women and children’s lives remain at great risk amid and following conflict.

“For far too long, women and children, particularly refugees and the internally displaced, have been denied critical protection during and after conflict, says Kathleen Newland, Board Chair, Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children. “The Women and Children in Armed Conflict Protection Act of 2003 will go a long way to change that by specifically addressing the safety and security needs of these women and children.”

Civilians comprise 90 percent of all killed and wounded as a result of armed conflict.
In addition, of the nearly 50 million people who have been uprooted around the world, 80 percent are women and children. They are especially vulnerable to the devastating consequences of war and displacement and are increasingly targeted by armed elements for murder, abduction, forced military conscription, involuntary servitude and gender-based violence.

The Women and Children in Armed Conflict Protection Act of 2003 requires the United States to develop an integrated strategy for protecting women and children during conflict and to report on this strategy to Congress. A Protection Coordinator would be responsible for overseeing these efforts and humanitarian aid agencies would be required to adopt a code of conduct to prevent sexual exploitation to be eligible for U.S. assistance. The bill creates a $45 million annual Women and Children’s Protection Fund for initiatives to prevent, detect and respond to gender-based violence and exploitation in armed conflict.

The legislation is supported by a wide range of humanitarian and human rights groups, including the Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children and Save the Children.

“With the nature of warfare changed as it has, the protection of women and children in conflict must be addressed in tandem with other basic humanitarian needs,” Newland says. “Too many women and children are suffering, even dying, needlessly from violence and abuse committed during conflict and the international community has turned a blind eye. Protection must be an integral part of humanitarian assistance in the 21st century and this bill will help make this happen.”