In the United States, 8 out of 10 farm worker women have reported they experience sexual harassment, threats and assault at their work site. It is often seen as one of the largest "silent injustices" of our time. See https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/where-is-the-metoo-for-sexual-harassment-against-immigrant-workers/. 

Sexual harassment in the worksite has recently received nationwide attention, due in part to the #Metoo and #TimesUp campaigns and a 2013 Frontline Documentary, “Rape in the Fields." There have also been recent large legal cases in Washington State. Thus, policy change and training as preventative measures to combat WSH are vital to promoting a healthy work site and to supporting the well-being of farm workers, especially women.

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In 2013, the Pacific Northwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center (PNASH) heard and documented the importance of addressing this issue from key stakeholders in the Yakima Valley, received funding from the Washington State Medical Aid & Accident Fund, and launched a 1.5 year research-to-action project to increase community awareness about this issue. In collaboration with farm worker women, PNASH developed prevention messages from their focus group findings. These were incorporated into educational resources including a radionovela, informational wallet cards, a DVD for waiting room usage, and an educational theater production. These were all developed in close partnership with key government, non-profit, and legal advocacy organizations. More information about this program and the educational resources available are on the PNASH website: http://deohs.washington.edu/pnash/sexual_harassment

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What now?

Since then, University of Washington provided a small Royalty Research Grant, and donors such as EFI, Sea Mar, Northwest Justice Project, several nurseries in Oregon, and the Pacific Northwest Agriculture, Health and Safety Center have contributed funding to develop a video and training curriculum in English and in Spanish using a community engaged approach for grower/supervisors and farm workers. However, we still need additional funds to make this goal a reality!  

Although causes for sexual harassment and sexual violence are ecological in nature and require an ecological and multi level approach to change, there are organizational and policy level factors we can address NOW to shift the power dynamics. Farm worker women have been and will continue to be leading this work. 

How can you help?

You, too, can contribute to this effort by helping us raise remaining funds to produce the rest of the video segments and a Toolkit for growers, supervisors, and farm workers. A donation of any size will help us reach the money needed for video production ($31K) so we can finish the video and editing by May 2019!  All sponsors' names will appear in the marketing for the training and in the closing credits.

There is a growing demand from all stakeholders in the agriculture sector, and will need to have something in place for when a law requiring sexual harassment prevention training in agriculture is passed (and it will). With help from you, and many others, we will push that policy change and training happen together.

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Our Team:

Victoria Breckwich Vásquez, DrPH, MPH, MA (Principal Investigator/ Co-Director) – Vice President of Prevention at Sea Mar Community Health Centers. Dr. Breckwich Vásquez is a former Asst. Professor at UW Bothell and Director of Community Engagement & Education, at PNASH at the University of Washington Seattle. Dr. Breckwich Vásquez has focused experience in community-based participatory research, will oversee the development of the video as an occupational health & safety education training tool, and will lead efforts to engage agricultural stakeholders in development and promotion of the training. In addition, Dr. Breckwich Vásquez is involved with statewide advocacy efforts driving state and federal policy changes that promote sexual harassment prevention training in the agricultural sector. She is the co-Chair and founder of the Washington State Coalition to Prevent Sexual Harassment in Agriculture.

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Alexandra Lewis-Lorentz, PhD, MA, MA (Producer/ Co-Director) – Dr. Lewis-Lorentz is an experienced producer, cinematographer, writer and editor with extensive experience working with underserved migrant worker populations in the Wenatchee, WA area. Her company, AJL Productions LLC is focused specifically on the production of bilingual training videos for agricultural workers since 2010.

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Jody Early, PhD, MS, MCHES (Co-Principal Investigator). Jody Early is an Associate Professor in the School of Nursing and Health Studies at the University of Washington Bothell and a Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES). Dr. Early leads the development and evaluation efforts relating to the work site curriculum that accompanies the training video. Dr. Early has over 20 years of experience working in and with communities to develop, evaluate, and direct, culturally tailored community-based health education programs, especially for women and LatinX communities. She has published about violence against women, CBPR, and socio-ecological factors that impact communities and health behavior.

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Elizabeth Torres, BS Elizabeth is the Lead Facilitator and Project Coordinator, engaging stakeholders across the state, especially farm workers and promotores in the providing feedback that shapes the development of the video and curriculum. In addition to her role on this project, she leads efforts at el Proyecto Bienestar (EPB), a community based collaborative partnership based in the Yakima Valley. EPB serves as a primary convener for this pilot project, hosting discussions with farm workers and video advisory group members.

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Paula Zambrano, Farmworker (Consultant) and additional farm worker consultants from Eastern Washington (Yakima Valley and Wenatchee).

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Video and Curriculum Advisory Committee:  A cross-sector advisory group that provides feedback on the training and video in development. The team is comprised of representatives from agriculture, non-profit, education, and govt. organizations (workers, trainers, advocates, and growers); the WA Human Rights Commission; Radio KDNA; Northwest Justice League; WA Grower's League; EEOC; LNI, PNASH, and UW.