Why farms are dangerous places for female workers

+ impact of Niger coup; when congressional investigations are constructive or not US Edition - Today's top story: Sexual violence is a pervasive threat for female farm workers – here's how the US could reduce their risk [View in browser]( US Edition | 31 July 2023 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Top headlines - [Research on effects of care for transgender youth]( - [On Hiroshima anniversary, what way forward on nuclear arms control?]( - [Christian tourists seek Mount Sinai in Saudi Arabia]( Lead story Farm work is one of the most dangerous occupations in the U.S., with risks that include vehicle accidents, heavy machinery and exposure to pesticides. And for female workers, who make up about one-fourth of the farm workforce, there’s another: sexual violence. Rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment [are “frighteningly common on U.S. farms](,” write Penn State rural sociologists Kathleen Sexsmith, Francisco Reyes and Megan A.M. Griffin from Connecticut College. The threat is most acute for immigrant workers, many of whom are undocumented. To reduce the danger, the authors recommend reforming labor laws – which currently allow girls as young as 12 to work on farms – and developing a path toward legal immigration status for agricultural workers. U.S. lawmakers “could do enormous good for women around the world by setting an example in American fields and farms,” they observe. [ [Understand what’s going on in Washington and around the world. Get our Politics Weekly newsletter.]( ] Jennifer Weeks Senior Environment + Cities Editor Mexican migrant workers harvest parsley on a farm in Wellington, Colo. John Moore/Getty Images [Sexual violence is a pervasive threat for female farm workers – here’s how the US could reduce their risk]( Kathleen Sexsmith, Penn State; Francisco Alfredo Reyes, Penn State; Megan A. M. Griffin, Connecticut College Agriculture is one of the most dangerous industries in the US, with workers exposed to vehicles, chemicals and heavy equipment. Women working on farms face another risk: sexual assault. Politics + Society - [Niger coup: Military takeover is a setback for democracy and US interests in West Africa]( Leonardo A. Villalón, University of Florida Niger had been seen as a relatively stable nation in an unstable region. The coup could spark fears in the West that the nation may align interests with Russia and the Wagner Group. - [Is Congress on a witch hunt? 5 ways to judge whether oversight hearings are legitimate or politicized]( Claire Leavitt, Smith College The GOP in the House and Senate is doing lots of investigations; Democrats did the same in the past. 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