New handbook, in English and Spanish, is free.

But that's exactly what Douglas said the company did to her and the other women who traveled by bus from Hidalgo, Mexico, to the United States to work on the farm to earn money to send back to their families. Over the course of a week, the workers were allowed two hours — one on Saturday and one on Sunday — in which they could leave the company's premises.

Douglas' story is not unique, but it's seldom told. By some estimates, there are up to 4 million low-wage immigrant women toiling at difficult jobs in the United States. Many report some form of on-the-job abuse. Ten came forward to tell their story in Voices for Justice, a new handbook distributed free of charge by Esperanza, the immigrant women's legal initiative of the Southern Poverty Law Center.

"Low-wage immigrant women are among the most vulnerable workers in our country because of their gender, their economic reality, their status as immigrants and their unfamiliarity with the law," said Monica Ramirez Guerrero, who directs Esperanza, which means "hope" in Spanish. "This makes it easy for other people to prey upon and exploit them."

The new handbook educates low-wage immigrant women about their rights in the workplace and the steps they should take if they are confronted with harassment or discrimination. Often they are unfamiliar with their rights in the United States, the legal system and the procedures related to asserting their rights, Guerrero said.

"These women are often victims of economic and sexual exploitation," Guerrero said. "They are frequently the first to be fired or laid off. They are not paid equally to their male counterparts, and they are sometimes not paid at all. In addition, they face sexual violence in the workplace at alarming rates."

While there are no national data to suggest the true number of low-wage immigrant women who face sexual violence or harassment, in one survey 90 percent of farmworker women in California reported that sexual harassment in the workplace was a major problem.

And when women are assaulted, cheated out of money, or locked up on the company's grounds, they often do not know where to turn. They also feel as though they are the only such victims. That is another reason a handbook with personal stories is so critical, said Guerrero.

"Often women say that they are afraid to take action because they do not know anyone else who has done so," said Guerrero. "They feel they are alone, and they fear retaliation for taking action. The women in Voices for Justice have come forward so that others will know that they are not alone and that they, too, can speak out."

The handbook is available in both English and Spanish.

SPLC Report
Spring 2007