[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 5 (Thursday, January 9, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Page S77]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO ROBIN PHILIPS

 Ms. SMITH. Mr. President, I rise today to honor Robin Philips, 
who is retiring after over two decades of leadership at the Advocates 
For Human Rights.
  Robin was on the organization's delegation to document violence 
against women in Romania in 1994. She then founded the Advocates' 
Women's Human Rights Program, one of the first in the United States. 
Robin's work has been revolutionary in ensuring recognition for women's 
human rights as human rights and developing a partner-based 
methodology.
  The Advocates is committed to human rights work built on partnerships 
with, and led by, individuals impacted by human rights violations. 
Volunteers are at the heart of the Advocates' work, with thousands of 
supporters contributing their time to legal services, fact-finding, 
advocacy, outreach, and operational support.
  Under Robin's leadership, the Advocates has provided pro bono legal 
counsel to more than 7,000 noncitizen victims of persecution, torture, 
trafficking, prolonged detention, and family violence. She has made 
Minnesota a leader in anti-human trafficking efforts by advocating for 
our Safe Harbor For Sexually Exploited Youth Act and for expanding the 
State's criminal statute to protect more people from labor trafficking 
and provide permanent State funding for victims.
  As executive director, Robin has also greenlit transitional justice 
projects in Peru, Sierra Leone, and Liberia. She supervised work with 
partners worldwide to abolish the death penalty. More than two-thirds 
of countries in the world have now abolished the death penalty in law 
or in practice. Robin has also been deeply committed to the Advocates' 
Nepal School Project, which has provided education as an alternative to 
child labor, serving over 1,000 low-income Nepali students. These 
achievements are highlights of Robin's impact on our State and world.
  Congratulations on your well-earned retirement, Robin, and best of 
luck in your next chapter.

                          ____________________