[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 105 (Thursday, July 14, 2011)]
[House]
[Page H5027]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               OPPOSING THE COLOMBIA FREE TRADE AGREEMENT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my ongoing 
concerns about human rights abuses in Colombia and to oppose any 
consideration of the pending United States-Colombia Free Trade 
Agreement until tangible and sustained progress is seen on the ground. 
Colombia has a longstanding legacy of serious and pervasive human 
rights violations. Trade unionists, members of indigenous groups, and 
human rights defenders have been particular targets for violence. 
Despite some positive rhetoric by the Santos administration about 
improving protection of human rights, serious abuses continue.
  In one recent incident reported by Human Rights Watch, seven people 
were massacred in southern Colombia on July 2, reportedly by FARC 
guerrillas. On June 25, another eight people were killed also in the 
southern part of the country. In both cases, children were among those 
killed. According to Human Rights Watch, there were 17 such massacres 
between January and May, 2011, resulting in a total of 76 deaths--a 21 
percent increase over the same time period in 2010.
  Several members of indigenous groups have been targeted and killed in 
recent weeks as well, ranging from children to prominent community 
leaders. Human Rights Watch reports that 14 members of indigenous 
communities have been killed in 2011 in Antioquia Department alone. 
Other indigenous leaders have been threatened, and dozens of families 
have been displaced. The Colombian Government has to act immediately to 
ensure a thorough investigation into these horrific crimes and to 
finally end the cycle of impunity. Further, the government must take 
immediate steps to protect indigenous communities and other 
particularly vulnerable groups, as human rights groups have repeatedly 
demanded.
  Labor leaders and trade unionists also continue to be victims of 
serious abuses. Though the recently agreed to Labor Action Plan commits 
the government, at least in writing, to take several important steps to 
prevent and punish these human rights violations, we have yet to see 
any sort of tangible progress on the ground. With recently published 
statistics showing that Colombia again led the world in trade unionist 
deaths in 2010, it is critical that we see a real reduction in violence 
before we even consider passing and implementing a trade deal.
  The Labor Action Plan is not legally binding under the FTA before us. 
If violence and impunity continue, the United States will have no 
mechanism for delaying or halting implementation of the free trade 
agreement. The Labor Action Plan fails to require sustained, meaningful 
and measurable results. Once we enact the FTA, we lose any ability to 
force the Colombian Government to produce tangible change.
  Mr. Speaker, I do not support the NAFTA-style trade model illustrated 
in the three pending Bush-negotiated free trade agreements because so-
called free trade has proven destructive to the American economy and 
harmful to workers both in the United States and abroad. The Economic 
Policy Institute estimates that implementing the Colombia and South 
Korea free trade agreements would increase the U.S. trade deficit by 
$16.8 billion and eliminate or displace 214,000 U.S. jobs. Particularly 
at a time when we should be focused on job creation, I strongly oppose 
all three FTAs, which jeopardize more jobs.

                              {time}  1050

  Finally, I find it particularly concerning that we are considering 
implementing an FTA with Colombia in the absence of demonstrated 
progress on human rights and workers rights.
  Mr. Speaker, we cannot turn a blind eye to ongoing abuses, and we 
should not consider the trade agreement until these issues are fully 
resolved.

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