MONTGOMERY, AL - Ãâ Undocumented women who are feeding the country with their labor routinely endure sexual harassment, wage theft and other abuses, according to a new report released today by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). ###
The report Ãâ Injustice on Our Plates: Immigrant Women in the U.S. Food Industry Ãâ documents the workplace experiences of immigrant women who have come to the
The report can be read at www.splcenter.org/foodreport. Its release coincides with the 50th anniversary of Edward R. MurrowÃâs documentary ÃâHarvest of Shame,Ãâ which chronicled the plight of migrant farmworkers. CBS broadcast the documentary on Thanksgiving in 1960.
ÃâThese women are the backbone of the food industry but are exploited and abused in ways that most of us canÃât imagine and that none of us should tolerate,Ãâ said SPLC Legal Director Mary Bauer, co-author of the report. ÃâFear keeps these women silent, so their suffering is invisible to all of us who benefit from their labor every time we sit down at the dinner table.Ãâ
The report is based on extensive interviews with 150 immigrant women from
Many of the women interviewed for the report said the threat of deportation and the possible destruction of their families keeps them from reporting workplace abuses Ãâ even when it means enduring sexual harassment and other indignities.
ÃâItÃâs because of fear [that] we have to tolerate more,Ãâ said one 26-year-old
Many workers described keeping track of the wages they had earned only to discover a far smaller amount in their paychecks. Some said they were not paid at all for work they performed. Sexual harassment and even brutal sexual assaults by male co-workers and supervisors were also a constant threat for many of these women. Some saw it as a danger that simply must be tolerated for a dayÃâs pay. Many are reluctant to report sexual assaults and other crimes to police for fear of being deported.
The women also reported working in dangerous conditions without adequate safety precautions. Field workers reported frequent exposure to chemicals and pesticides.
Farmworkers remain the least protected workers in
The report concludes that wholesale reforms at the federal level are needed to protect these workers. These reforms include a path to citizenship for the undocumented workers who are feeding the country with their labor. Reforms also must include stronger worker protections Ãâ for all workers, whether they labor in the field or in the factory, and whether they have legal status or not.
ÃâFor these women, workplace exploitation is the rule Ãâ not the exception,Ãâ said Mónica Ramírez, co-author of the report and director for Esperanza: The Immigrant WomenÃâs Legal Initiative of the SPLC. ÃâVirtually every American relies on their labor. It is our responsibility to stop their abuse.Ãâ
The Southern