Sow the Seeds of Justice!
This is not just a catchy slogan – it is a real opportunity for
you to make a difference. You will receive a packet of organic
seeds for you to sow your own garden and reap the rewards that grow from
your own labor. Everyday migrant and seasonal farm workers toil in
the fields of New York to put food on our table. Now you can help
them by sowing the seeds of justice through a generous donation
to Farmworker Legal Services of New York, Inc. In the next few
paragraphs you will learn about some of the people we serve, how the
justice system has been turned against them and how your gift can change
their lives. Please give generously. Our gift to you is this
small packet of seeds that will grow into life-giving, healthy plants.
Your gift to us is to cultivate a climate of fairness, justice and hope.
The Domestic Violence Project – the story of one woman:
This is part of M.’s story as excerpted from the U visa/interim
relief declaration:
My name is M. and I am 28 years old. I was born and raised in
Mexico. I first met my husband, Victor, in 1994. He was
abusive since the very beginning of our relationship… In Mexico,
the police don’t care if a husband beats up his wife. It’s a
family matter, they say. In 1999, Victor, my daughter and I got to
New York. Because I didn’t speak English and didn’t know anybody,
I was even more isolated here than in Mexico. I worked in the
apple fields with Victor, and he made sure that I couldn’t talk to or be
alone with anyone else. He always watched over me. Every pay
day, he took my check and wouldn’t give me any of the money. He
did whatever he wanted to with the money that I earned and I had to ask
him for food and other necessary items. Any time I got sick, he
refused to take me to the doctor….
I didn’t know who to turn to for help. I didn’t have any friends
because Victor wouldn’t allow me to, and I didn’t want to call the
police because I didn’t speak English, I didn’t think I had rights
because I was illegal, and I thought the police here didn’t care about
domestic abuse either. I put up with his treatment silently for
years.
The abuse got steadily worse over time. … I finally told a worker
at the migrant clinic about what was going on at home. I was
pregnant with our third child at that time, and the abuse had gotten
much worse. Victor had told me that while I was giving birth to
our baby at the hospital, he would run away with our two older children
and I would never see them again. I believed he was capable of
doing that. The worker at the clinic introduced me to the
advocates from Farmworker Legal Services. Since Victor almost
never let me leave the house, the clinic arranged for me to meet with
FLSNY at the clinic by telling Victor I had a check-up. The
advocates from FLSNY talked to me about domestic violence and told me
about my rights and different options that I had. Because Victor
always told me that I didn’t have rights and that I would get deported
if I called the police on him, I was totally shocked to hear that I
could get help. They introduced me to the Victim’s Resource Center
and discussed with me in more detail what legal help I could get.
…I finally gathered up the courage to ask the court for a restraining
order against Victor. Going to court was very scary, especially
since the judge asked me about my immigration status. My lawyer
told me that in family court, the judge’s aren’t required to ask about
that, but he did anyway. I told him the truth, that I was illegal.
He told me that while he wasn’t going to report me to immigration; it
was possible that immigration could find out about me. He asked me
if I wanted to go ahead with the petition knowing that there was
potential for me to get in trouble with immigration. I told him
yes, that I had to continue so that I could be safe from Victor.
The judge gave me a temporary order saying that Victor had to stay away
from me and the children.
I still struggle every day with what Victor did to me and our family and
I still worry that he might return and start abusing me again. I’m
having a hard time making ends meet, but I know that I’m better off
without him. I just found out that my U visa application got
approved, which means that I will get to stay legally in the U.S.
I feel hope for the future and grateful for all of the help that I have
received.
Pesticide Education
The seeds we sent you today are organically grown without pesticides.
Seasonal and migrant farm workers who work in the fields of New York are
not so fortunate. Massive amounts of pesticides are used on farms
today, exposing farm workers and their families to dangerous poisons.
The pesticides seep into ground water, contaminate the air and soil –
affecting all of us. But for farm workers who are there at the
time of application and who take it home on their clothes and shoes are
in imminent danger of poisoning themselves and their families.
FLSNY educates farm workers and their families to take steps to minimize
their exposure. FLSNY’s outreach workers teach farm workers and
their families about the danger of exposure, how to keep pesticides from
entering their home on their shoes and clothes, and the symptoms of
poisoning so they can seek medical attention and limit the long-range
effects of poisoning.
Trafficking
This story is an example of the clients we meet every day.
Jose is 15 years old and came to this country to help his family in
Mexico. He was recruited from his home town by a man who promised
him a steady job with good income. Jose believed this man and the
man helped him cross the border in a truck with 20 other adult workers.
His first week in the U.S. was spent in a trailer in the blazing heat of
Arizona. The conditions were so brutal that Jose jumped at the
chance of coming to New York even though he was told the cost of his
employment would be certain “fees” related to his transportation and
living requirements. He is never told how much he would have to
pay nor is he told how much he would be earning. He comes to New
York and works 15-hour days in the fields. At the end of the first
week he is given a check that works out to be about $3.00 an hour.
He cashes the check with the crew leader who charges him for cashing the
check. He buys his food from the local store and he is left with
little money to send home. After two months he asks how much he
still owes and he learns that the amount of the debt is more than he
would make for the whole season.
When FLSNY’s outreach workers meet Jose, he tells them he is 18 years
old because that is what the crew leader has told him to say.
FLSNY’s workers suspect that he is underage and is a victim of
trafficking and cultivates a trusting relationship with Jose over
several visits to the farm. Jose finally admits he is 15 and he
tells us about his life in the camp and his journey from Mexico.
FLSNY explains to Jose that he is the victim of human trafficking and
that there is help and hope for him. Jose may qualify for the
T-Visa that would allow Jose to stay in the US legally and help law
enforcement officials to fully investigate the crew leader for human
trafficking abuses.
Is trafficking real?
Human Trafficking is present in many forms. It can have the form of
sexual exploitation or labor exploitation. It almost always applies to
unaccompanied minors.
FLSNY staff has been working with many trafficking victims defined under
the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 for the
last seven years. Prior to the passage of the federal act we worked with
trafficked victims to find other relief under the law. We have initiated
several cases involving victims of human trafficking where the victims
have received victim certification and T-visas. We are nationally
recognized for our work and have been repeatedly asked by organizations
throughout the country to present information/training on human
trafficking. FLSNY is a member of several anti-human trafficking
coalitions and works closely with the New York State Attorney General’s
Office identifying victims under the New York State Anti-Trafficking Act
of 2007. In fact, several of our staff worked for the passage of this
Act that reinforces and supports the federal law.
Additionally, our Domestic Violence Project integrates the work on
Domestic Violence with our Anti-Trafficking project to uncover sexual
exploitation/trafficking and they are also nationally recognized.
FLSNY provides training, accepts referrals and provides either direct
legal assistance, or, help find someone who can, on all legal issues
involving seasonal and migrant workers.
Wage claims
What would happen to you and your family if your employer withheld
your check? Would you know where to turn? Would you be able
to buy groceries for your family or pay your rent? This is a
familiar dilemma for our farm worker families. For no good reason
and with no explanation many farm workers find that their check is
withheld or, even more often, less than they were promised. Farm
workers who find themselves in this predicament turn to FLSNY about
their situation. Often they meet FLSNY’s outreach workers who tell
them about their rights to their hard-earned wages and when they find
that they are unpaid or underpaid they know who to call. More
often the situation is uncovered during one of the many hundreds of
outreach visits FLSNY’s workers make. Sometimes it takes more than
a phone call or letter to the grower to remedy the situation and that is
when our attorneys step in and bring the full weight of the law to bear
on this unscrupulous practice.
Sow the seeds of Justice!
Not just a phrase but a real opportunity to bring help and hope to
the migrant and seasonal farm worker community. Now that you have
read some of our clients’ stories, we hope you will join us in our work.
Please give generously.
Lew Papenfuse
Executive Director
Here's how you can help:
Send your donation directly to
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Farmworker Legal Services of New York, Inc.
-
1187 Culver Road
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Rochester, NY 14609
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(585)325-3050
