U.S. CODE

U.S. Code

§ 2370c-1. Prohibition

(a) In general

Subject to subsections (b), (c), and (d), the authorities contained in section 2321j, 2347, or 2763 of this title may not be used to provide assistance to, and no licenses for direct commercial sales of military equipment may be issued to, the government of a country that is clearly identified, pursuant to subsection (b), for the most recent year preceding the fiscal year in which the authorities or license would have been used or issued in the absence of a violation of sections 2370c to 2370c–2 of this title, as having governmental armed forces or government-supported armed groups, including paramilitaries, militias, or civil defense forces, that recruit and use child soldiers.

(b) Identification and notification to countries in violation of standards

(1) Publication of list of foreign governments

The Secretary of State shall include a list of the foreign governments that have violated the standards under sections 2370c to 2370c–2 of this title and are subject to the prohibition in subsection (a) in the report required under section 7107 (b) of this title.

(2) Notification of foreign countries

The Secretary of State shall formally notify any government identified pursuant to subsection (a).

(1) Waiver

The President may waive the application to a country of the prohibition in subsection (a) if the President determines that such waiver is in the national interest of the United States.

(2) Publication and notification

Not later than 45 days after each waiver is granted under paragraph (1), the President shall notify the appropriate congressional committees of the waiver and the justification for granting such waiver.

(d) Reinstatement of assistance

The President may provide to a country assistance otherwise prohibited under subsection (a) upon certifying to the appropriate congressional committees that the government of such country—

(1) has implemented measures that include an action plan and actual steps to come into compliance with the standards outlined in subsection (b); and

(2) has implemented policies and mechanisms to prohibit and prevent future government or government-supported use of child soldiers and to ensure that no children are recruited, conscripted, or otherwise compelled to serve as child soldiers.

(e) Exception for programs directly related to addressing the problem of child soldiers or professionalization of the military

(1) In general

The President may provide assistance to a country for international military education, training, and nonlethal supplies (as defined in section 2557 (d)(1)(B) of title 10) otherwise prohibited under subsection (a) upon certifying to the appropriate congressional committees that—

(A) the government of such country is taking reasonable steps to implement effective measures to demobilize child soldiers in its forces or in government-supported paramilitaries and is taking reasonable steps within the context of its national resources to provide demobilization, rehabilitation, and reintegration assistance to those former child soldiers; and

(B) the assistance provided by the United States Government to the government of such country will go to programs that will directly support professionalization of the military.

(2) Limitation

The exception under paragraph (1) may not remain in effect for a country for more than 5 years.

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