Secretary of State John Kerry announced on Monday a new taxpayer initiative to spend $10 million to fight what he termed as gender-based violence around the world.
The funding is a “new U.S. initiative, Safe from the Start, to prevent and respond to gender-based violence in humanitarian emergencies worldwide,” the State Department said, in a written statement reported by the Weekly Standard.
The statement continued: “Secretary Kerry emphasized that in the face of conflict and disaster, we should strive to protect women and girls from sexual assault and other violence.”
The money will fund the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Committee of the Red Cross and similar humanitarian groups to allow for the hiring of additional staff and launching of new safety programs.
The initiative will be overseen, in part, by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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