人兽性交

When she asked the crew leader at C&C Agricultural Farms in Clewiston, Florida, about it, she remembers that he told her, 鈥淭his is what I鈥檓 paying you. There鈥檚 no way to negotiate it differently.鈥�

That鈥檚 not what he said when she asked again. This time, Perez鈥檚 crew leader told her he would pay her more if she had sex with him.

She refused. The situation escalated and, a lawsuit alleges, he grabbed her from behind, fondled her breasts, and then, when she continued to reject his advances, threatened to get her deported.

鈥淭ruly I did feel very intimidated and very fearful,鈥� 鈥淚 just arrived and I didn鈥檛 know anything about the laws or who to call or what I could say or how to say it.鈥�

Thousands of women working on isolated farms across America know exactly what she鈥檚 talking about.

鈥淭he history of agriculture in the U.S. [has] always been one of sexual violence,鈥� M贸nica Ram铆rez Ramchandani. 鈥淥n farms, conditions are ripe for it.鈥�

Ramirez is the founder and president of , which responded to the revelations of Harvey Weinstein鈥檚 abusive behavior by on behalf of the approximately 700,000 female farmworkers in the U.S. who also know sexual violence 鈥渇ar too well.鈥�

Ramirez, who previously worked at the Southern Poverty Law Center, has been calling attention for years to the sexual violence that farmworker women experience. In 2010, as the director of our Immigrant Women鈥檚 Legal Initiative, she spearheaded a partnership to release a guidebook for criminal justice professionals providing legal assistance to farmworker survivors of non-intimate partner violence.

It was published exactly eight years ago today. Sadly, every word rings as true in 2018 as it did in 2010. As we wrote then:

Farmworker victims of sexual violence often suffer in silence. They may have profound fears of losing their jobs, adverse action by law enforcement including immigration officials, and other forms of retaliation against them or their families. Victims may not know their legal rights. They may have no one to reach out to in an unfamiliar community, isolated by language, distance, culture and lack of transportation. They may experience deep shame if the community and family members learn about the sexual violence. Perpetrators of sexual violence, including employers, supervisors, co-workers and housing providers frequently use these fears and conditions to exert power and control over their victims.

Given this complicated position, the brave victims who come forward to report sexual violence may need help with a range of services including civil, criminal and immigration legal services.

We鈥檙e committed to seeking justice for vulnerable communities throughout the Deep South 鈥� and in the era of #MeToo, it鈥檚 more important than ever to shine the spotlight on the workers who are the most likely to be targeted, who are the least empowered to report abuses, and who stand to lose the most from sexual violence in the workplace.

Today may be the last day of , but it鈥檚 clear that this is not a moment. Eight years in, it鈥檚 a movement.听听

The Editors.

P.S. Here are some other pieces we think are valuable this week:

• by Catherine Shoichet for CNN
• by Kashana Cauley for The New Republic
• By Kathleen McGrory for听Tampa Bay Times
• by David M. Perry for Pacific Standard

人兽性交鈥檚 Weekend Read听is a weekly summary of the most important news reporting and commentary from around the country on civil rights, economic and racial inequality, and hate and extremism.听Sign up to receive the Weekend Read听every Saturday morning.

Photo听by听Todd Bigelow