"Rape in the Fields," a documentary on the hidden story of sexual assault on the job in America, will be screened at a Community Forum in Newbury Park at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 15.
The screening at the Conejo Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship will be followed by a discussion with producer Andres Cediel, a lecturer in the Investigative Reporting Program at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, and Bernice Yeung, a reporter with the nonprofit Center for Investigative Reporting.
Yeung spent a year investigating for "Rape in the Fields," which was aired on the Public Broadcasting System's "Frontline." The film tells the stories of migrant women who say they were sexually assaulted by supervisors in America's fields and packing plants. Most do not report the attacks for fear of losing their jobs or being deported, according to the documentary.
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The film is a collaboration of Frontline, the Center for Investigative Reporting and Univision. Hundreds of women in the food industry have complained of sexual assault or harassment to the federal government, the documentary reports. The investigation found that 85 percent faced retaliation, including being fired, demoted or further harassed. The reporters said they did not find a single case where a person accused in civil suits of sexual assault or rape in the fields was criminally prosecuted.
The program, to be presented in English and Spanish, is open to the public and free; donations will be accepted. The Conejo Valley Unitarian Universalist fellowship is located at 3327 Old Conejo road in Newbury Park. For information, visit forum.cvuuf.org or call (805) 358-5844.