; Whereas, according to the United Nations, from 2016 to 2017, verified cases of child recruitment and participation in armed conflict— (1) quadrupled in the Central African Republic; (2) doubled in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and (3) persisted at alarming levels in Somalia, South Sudan, the Syrian Arab Republic, and Yemen; Whereas unaddressed exposure to violence disrupts the development of critical brain architecture and other organ structures, leaving children at lifelong risk of disease and reduced potential; Whereas studies show toxic stress relating to exposure to violent or dangerous environments becomes damaging to learning, behavior, and health across a lifespan; Whereas violence against children can lead to negative health consequences, including injury, noncommunicable and communicable diseases, and poor maternal and child health outcomes; Whereas, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the United States invests 0.5 percent of official development assistance in programs that are designed to prevent and address violence against children and youth; Whereas the United States, in coordination with public-private partnerships and other organizations, has endorsed the technical package called INSPIRE: Seven Strategies for Ending Violence against Children (referred to in this preamble as INSPIRE ) put forth by the World Health Organization; Whereas INSPIRE contains 7 evidence-based strategies to end violence against children that include— (1) implementing and enforcing relevant laws; (2) addressing harmful gender and other social norms; (3) creating and sustaining safe communities; (4) supporting parents and caregivers; (5) strengthening economic programs relating to reducing violence against children; (6) improving access to health services, social welfare, and criminal justice support; and (7) ensuring safe school environments that provide gender-equitable education and social-emotional learning and life skills trainings