February 5, 2016, Rights Reading

February 5, 2016

Reports edition

Our weekly roundup of what we’re reading: a few select articles from the front lines of human rights that we don’t want you to miss.

1.Wages and Working Conditions in Arkansas Poultry Plants, by the Northwest Arkansas Workers’ Justice Center (NWAWJC)

“This report is one of the most detailed and comprehensive looks at life inside poultry plants in recent years. It reveals serious problems, from unpaid wages to gender and racial discrimination and health and hygiene lapses that harm both workers and consumers. This hard evidence should spur policymakers and poultry companies to action to protect the rights and dignity of the people who put chicken, Americans’ favorite meat, on our tables.”
— Amber Moulton, Researcher, UUSC

Full disclosure, NWAWJC is one of our partners and we supported the creation of this report. That said, this report is a deep and essential look at the challenges that Arkansas poultry workers face every day. In it, you’ll hear from poultry workers about being denied bathroom breaks, having to work sick in dangerous conditions, and more.

2. Families in Fear: The Atlanta Immigration Raid, by the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights

“We must uphold our constitutional values as we address this humanitarian crisis. It is time to ensure that immigrant families no longer live in fear.”

This report gives an eye-opening look at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids that began on January 2, 2016, sharing the personal stories of those affected by the raids and critical recommendations for ensuring that the United States lives up to its responsibilities and offers asylum-seeking families safe haven. We know that family detention doesn’t work, and this report makes the effects of the ICE raids devastatingly clear.