07.11.2018
Washington, DC — KIND greatly appreciates the Senate Appropriations Committee’s inclusion of specific funding to prevent and address widespread sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras in the FY2019 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS) appropriations legislation.
The Committee’s recommendation of $12 million will help expand SGBV prevention programming, support services, and resources for survivors, and strengthen judicial, child protection, and law enforcement systems in the region.
Many of KIND’s clients have fled horrific violence in their home countries, including sexual and gender-based violence by gangs and other organized criminal organizations. Investment in efforts to improve the ability of governments in the region to bring perpetrators to justice and to improve access to critical mental health, medical, legal, and social services, and safe shelters will be key in fostering safer and more stable communities for children in Central America. Educating children in primary and secondary schools about SGBV will help shift current norms that accept such violence and prevent women and children from suffering in the future.
“We recognize the difficult choices facing the Committee as it works to respond to our nation’s tremendous fiscal challenges,” said KIND President Wendy Young, “We appreciate the Senate’s commitment to specifically addressing SGBV as a root cause of child migration.”
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Media Contact: Megan McKenna, mmckenna@supportkind.org, 202-631-9990