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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E496]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING JUDY GEARHART
______
HON. JANICE D. SCHAKOWSKY
of illinois
in the house of representatives
Thursday, May 28, 2020
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate and thank
Judy Gearhart for her leadership at the International Labor Rights
Forum. Judy, the executive director of ILRF since March 2011, will
retire in June. While she will leave that position, I know that she
will never leave the fight to protect the rights of workers around the
world.
In 2013, 1,134 garment workers were killed and 2,500 injured as the
9-story Rana Plaza factory collapsed--the deadliest garment factory
disaster in history. The vast majority of those killed and injured as a
result of corporate neglect were women. Like the 1911 Triangle
Shirtwaist Factory fire in the United States, the disaster spurred
activists to push for reforms. Judy Gearhart helped lead the fight and
won agreements with the garment industry to make improvements--although
much progress remains to be made. I had the privilege to work with Judy
in the aftermath of Rana Plaza and have continued to support her and
ILRF on international labor rights campaigns since then. Like so many
others, I have relied on her expertise, her experience and her passion
for improving the lives of working women, men and children around the
world.
Judy has made it her practice not to promote herself, but she focused
on lifting up the Labor Rights Defenders who are organizing and
mobilizing every day, often at great risk to themselves. She has
brought workers' leaders to meet with members of Congress, the
Administration, the media and the public--making sure that they have
the opportunity to tell their own stories in their own words. She has
spotlighted those who face violent attacks, jail and worse for their
courage in speaking out, heroes like Tola Moeun in Cambodia, Mahmud
Rajab in Uzbekistan and Gaspar Matalaev in Turkmenistan. Because of
Judy and ILRF, there are networks of organizers and advocates around
the world who are able to provide needed assistance to those fighting
for labor rights.
Judy's work exemplifies the concept of intersectionality. She has
seen that there are many different forces used to oppress the rights of
workers, and she has worked to bring together those fighting them.
Laborers in the fields don't just face poor working conditions but live
in societies rife with poverty and racism. Children in the tobacco
fields are not just being exploited for their labor but are subjected
to environmental and chemical hazards. Women in sweatshops are not just
subjected to poverty-level wages, they are often the target of gender-
based violence and harassment. As a result of Judy's leadership, last
year, the International Labour Organization adopted a convention and
recommendations on violence and harassment in the world of work.
Judy Gearhart has done the work, at UNICEF's monitoring and
evaluation office, working on women's rights and democratization
efforts in Mexico, with the ILO's International Program on the
Elimination of Child Labor in Honduras, on developing research and
training programs for workers at Social Accountability International,
and, of course, at ILRF. Not only does she put her knowledge to work,
she shares that knowledge through her teaching. She has served as a
tutor for many of us, not just on labor policies but, more importantly,
about the facts on the ground. And, more formally, Judy is a long-time
adjunct professor at Columbia University's School for International
Affairs, where she teaches students about international human rights
and development policy.
Judy Gearhart and ILRF have stood with cocoa workers in Cote D'Ivoire
and Ghana, cotton workers in Uzbekistan, garment workers in Bangladesh
and fruit workers in Honduras. Judy has provided guidance and
inspiration to those struggling for fair pay and just treatment for
their labors. For all she has done, and for all she will do in the
future, I want to express my deep appreciation and gratitude
____________________