[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 100 (Thursday, May 28, 2020)]
[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

                          ____________________