While reading the book, I was disgusted by the amount of assault on the immigrants; not just on the journey, but when they arrived in the states as well. On page 98, the author talks about how sexual assault is common, because the migrants are seen as inferior. I wondered how big of a problem this still is in the US today? According to splcenter.org, 77% of Latina women say sexual harassment is a major problem. There are many bosses that take advantage of their employees by threatening them by firing them or calling immigration. Many people refuse to pay and end up firing Latina women just because they are immigrants, and can't do anything about it. Many women aren't speaking up at all against their sexual abuse. In the Latina culture, the women believe that a women's purity is her responsibility, causing many women to not say anything about the abuse, rape, or harassment they endure. According to news.medill.northwestern.edu, many of the abuse victims say there are threats against their families in the states and in their home countries. These statistics are frightening and I hope the future holds a better, easier life for these women.
i agree with that statement, however i think the rate of harassments, rapes, etc. have gone down since this book was published, giving that the book took place more than a decade ago. No question this stuff still goes on in these places for the same reasons, but it has seemed to calm down quite a bit since then, very well written, can't wait to see more!
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your post I began to wonder just how much Latina women are paid compared to white workers and the results I found were eye opening. According to nbc Latino, Latina women are paid only 59 to 69 cents every dollar a man is paid. If that isn't bad enough, the average salary of a colored woman is only $29,000 while the average salary of all men is $48,000. Due to the salary gap between white men and Latinas, the lifetime loss of salary for Latinas is $800,000. Not only does this wage difference occur in low paying jobs, but high paying jobs as well.
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