Civil and Human Rights
Our government is founded on the belief that individuals have a number of “inalienable rights” enshrined in the Constitution. I believe that the protection of those rights is a fundamental obligation for each member of Congress, and I take that duty very seriously. It is important that we work to end discrimination and human rights abuses wherever they occur.
In my work in the House of Representatives, where I was previously a member of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and Vice Chair of the Human Rights Commission, I do my best to make sure a proper balance between security and liberty is maintained, and that government’s reach into our private lives is kept to a minimum.
More on Civil and Human Rights
WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. Jan Schakowsky released the following statement after news broke that 41 individuals in Bangladesh had been charged criminally for their role in the April 2013 Rana Plaza collapse:
CHICAGO – Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a time to celebrate the life, accomplishments, and dreams of one of our greatest American leaders. Dr. King stood for equality, freedom and peace; his work inspired a generation to advocate – non-violently – for the recognition of civil rights and liberties that had previously been denied. His legacy is with us today as we work to achieve his vision of an America that provides voting rights, economic justice, good jobs and wages, and improved health care for all.
Washington, DC — An amendment filed by two House Democrats to a defense authorization bill would require that garments made in Bangladesh and sold at base retail stores owned by the Department of Defense, known as exchanges, comply with an enforceable fire and building safety accord that will improve conditions in Bangladesh ready-made garment factories.
Washington, DC (February 14, 2013) — Rep. Jan Schakowsky released the following statement on sending a letter to the Afghan President Hamid Karzai:
WASHINGTON, DC (June 7, 2012) — Today, Reps. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Nita Lowey (D-NY), Howard Berman (D-CA) and about 37 House colleagues introduced H.R. 5905, the International Violence Against Women Act, to establish new tools to help the U.S. government prevent violence against women abroad, particularly in conflict situations.