A life in silence—whether out of fear, shame or ignorance—is a fate shared by hundreds of women that work in the fields of the United States. It is as if they were crops themselves, as their stories of abuse and sexual harassment have been cultivated for generations.
Their vulnerability lies both in their need to work in isolated locations to support their families, and limited of knowledge of English and U.S. law. They work at the mercy of their supervisors and coworkers who harass and violate them without an intervention of justice. Many of them feel obligated to remain quiet for fear of losing their jobs or being deported.
“Rape in the Fields” is a documentary produced by Frontline and Univision, in association with the Center for Investigative Reporting in Oakland and the Journalism department at University of California, Berkeley. They conducted a year’s worth of investigations touring almond groves in California’s Central Valley, Iowa packing plants, apple fields in Yakima Valley, Washington and tomato fields in Florida to expose this 51-minute long story of abuse and humiliation.
According to the documentary, more than half a million women (the majority being undocumented or Latina immigrants) work in the fields of the United States for big agrobusiness companies. These companies have been continuously accused of abusing workers’ rights, and practicing animal cruelty (among them are Harris Farms, Evans Fruits and DeCoster Farms). Under these conditions, sexual violence towards employees is a known reality and a corrupting silence for many.
Co-written by Andrés Cediel and Lowell Bergman and produced by Cediel, the documentary includes testimonies from victims who, for the first time publicly reveal their stories of abuse— and those who have bravely gone to court seeking justice.
MariCruz Ladino—who, along with 14 other women testified in a court that did not rule in their favor —stated: “I was heard, and for that reason I think that there was justice, but a part of me died and you can never get that back. This is what many women think, and if one of them stays quiet, shes going to stay quiet. Thats why I prefer to speak.”
It was difficult to encourage victims to break the silence.
In an interview with Frontline, Lowell explained that “because of shame, fear of losing their jobs and, in some cases, to be deported (they do not know the existence of laws that could protect them, for example, U-Visas, by denouncing a crime). For three months we traveled many miles to establish a relationship of trust and finally, they had the courage to speak.”
Meanwhile, Cediel explains that this matter was not previously addressed due to a lack of formal evidence and silence on behalf of the victims. In a culture addressing sexual issues is taboo, many of the women found it difficult to discuss this issue.
Contrary to the victims’ testimonies, alleged abusers Juan Marín and Rene Rodriguez (one of them accused of raping three times at gunpoint), denied the allegations against them.
Another interviewee is Dolores Huerta, civil rights activist, who considers sexual harassment “an epidemic in the fields.” William Tamayo, regional attorney of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, whose office has brought more than a dozen cases of rape in the fields to court, is also interviewed.
Fields that have a predominantly female workforce are commonly known as ‘green motels,’ are mute witnesses to the insults and threats imposed on women for decades. In exchange for a job that allows them to improve their quality of life, they have been treated violently by those who deem them their property, depriving them of their physical and moral integrity.
The documentary was broadcast on Frontline and Univision on June 25 and 29, respectively. The DVD can be purchased in stores or viewed online at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/rape-in-the-fields/
—Translation Gabriela Sierra Alonso