NOTICIAS

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Bob Menendez (D-NJ) today introduced the Central American Women and Children Protection Act of 2019 to address the protection and safety of women and children in El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala. The bipartisan legislation seeks to decrease and deter violence against women and children in the Northern Triangle and increase safe access by female and child survivors of violence to adequate, appropriate, and coordinated support services.  The Rubio/Menendez bill will also enhance the performance, will and capacity of justice system officials in Central America, including police, prosecutors, and courtroom personnel to provide a coordinated, multi-disciplinary, victim-centric response to crimes of violence against women and children.
 
Rubio is the Chairman of the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Transnational Crime, Civilian Security, Democracy, Human Rights, and Global Women’s Issues.
 
Co-sponsors include Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), Todd Young (R-IN), and Tim Kaine (D-VA). Representatives Norma J. Torres (D-CA) and Ann Wagner (R-MO), the Co-Chairs of the Congressional Central America Caucus, introduced companion legislation in the House.
 
“As Chairman of the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, I am proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation which will provide resources by creating compacts with clear objectives to protect women and children survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, abuse, and neglect in the Northern Triangle,” Rubio said.  “By strengthening the criminal justice systems, and family courts in El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala, the U.S. is providing protection and empowering families who are victims of violence in Central America.”  
 
“We cannot close our eyes or our borders to the women and children fleeing for their lives from the alarming violence in the Northern Triangle. The United States has a clear interest and responsibility to protect the most vulnerable as their lives are endangered and ensure that fewer families are destroyed, separated, or forced to flee,” said Senator Menendez. “Through short and long term strategies to improve governance and the rule of law, this bipartisan legislation will further strengthen criminal justice systems, family courts, schools, and communities in the Northern Triangle. Developing a comprehensive approach to combating the highest female and child homicide rates in the world will lay a strong foundation for the social and economic development of Central America so that those in violence torn communities can have a more prosperous future.”
 
“Our crisis on the southern border is often a result of corruption and insecurity in other countries. Protecting the safety and security of women and children in the Northern Triangle and strengthening the justice system in this region is both a moral and a security imperative. I am proud of this bipartisan effort that will bring greater stability to the region,” said Senator Young.

“We cannot sit idly by as women and children in the Northern Triangle face horrific violence that’s forcing them to flee for their lives. This bill is about helping the most vulnerable communities by boosting the capacity of the justice systems in these countries and increasing access to support services,” Kaine said.

Washington, DC — Los senadores estadounidenses Marco Rubio (R-FL) y Bob Menendez (D-NJ) presentaron hoy la Ley de Protección a Mujeres y Niños de Centroamérica del 2019 para abordar la protección y seguridad de mujeres y niños en El Salvador, Honduras y Guatemala. La legislación bipartidista busca disminuir la violencia contra las mujeres y los niños en el Triángulo del Norte y aumentar el acceso de mujeres y niños, quienes son sobrevivientes de violencia, a servicios de apoyo adecuados y coordinados. El proyecto de ley de Rubio y Menéndez también mejorará el desempeño, la voluntad y la capacidad de los funcionarios del sistema de justicia en Centroamérica, incluyendo la policía, los fiscales y el personal de la corte para brindar una respuesta coordinada, multidisciplinaria y centrada a las mujeres y niños víctimas de violencia.
 
Rubio es el presidente del Subcomité de Relaciones Exteriores para el Hemisferio Occidental, Delincuencia Transnacional, Seguridad Civil, Democracia, Derechos Humanos y Asuntos Globales de la Mujer.
 
Los co-patrocinadores de la legislación incluye a los senadores John Cornyn (R-TX), Todd Young (R-IN) y Tim Kaine (D-VA). Los representantes Norma J. Torres (D-CA) y Ann Wagner (R-MO), los Copresidentes del Congreso del Centro de América Central, presentaron una legislación complementaria en la Cámara.
 
“Como presidente del Subcomité de Relaciones Exteriores del Hemisferio Occidental, me enorgullece presentar esta legislación bipartidista que proporcionará recursos al crear iniciativas con objetivos claros para proteger a mujeres y niños víctimas de agresión sexual, violencia doméstica, abuso y negligencia en el Triángulo del Norte”, Rubio dijo. “Al fortalecer los sistemas de justicia penal y cortes de familia en El Salvador, Honduras y Guatemala, los Estados Unidos está protegiendo y empoderando a familias quienes son víctimas de la violencia en Centroamérica”.
 
“No podemos ignorar a las mujeres y niños que huyen por la alarmante violencia en el Triángulo Norte. Los Estados Unidos tiene la responsabilidad de proteger a los más vulnerables, cuyas vidas corren peligro, y de asegurarse que el menor número posible de familias sean destruidas, separadas o forzadas a huir, ” dijo el Senador Menéndez. “Por medio de estrategias para mejorar la gobernabilidad y el estado de derecho, este proyecto bipartidista continuará fortaleciendo el sistema de justicia criminal, las cortes familiares, escuelas y comunidades en los países del Triángulo Norte. Un enfoque integral para combatir la mayor tasa de homicidio de mujeres y niños en el mundo sentará las bases para un desarrollo económico y social en Centroamérica, para que esas comunidades plagadas por la violencia puedan tener un futuro más próspero.”