Tag: Rights of Humans

Undocumented Workers in Agriculture: How States can Protect Them

Presenter: Alexis Stinnett – Public Relations

Faculty Mentor(s): Corbett Upton

Session: (In-Person) Oral Panel—Rights of Humans

Agriculture has been and still is the foundation of our economy, and we rely on it to keep our country running. Even in today’s industrialized agriculture system we still see the need for labor in the fields for the backbreaking jobs that cannot yet be done by machines. It is not uncommon that these physically and mentally demanding jobs are typically occupied by undocumented immigrants, who make up about 50% of our work force. Researchers and historians have spent years looking at the history of farm labor in our country, and it is no surprise that in almost every instance it leads back to undocumented labor. Despite our society and economy’s dependence on undocumented workers, there are little to no regulations in place to protect or guarantee them the basic rights that other employees in different fields of work enjoy. The lack of rights and policy around agricultural labor allows for undocumented immigrants to be put in dangerous situations in the workplace as well as making it increasingly easy for them to be exploited. As our system has progressed, our policies and laws have not. There are a variety of social, economic, and political factors that prevent the federal government from passing the legislation that is needed to protect undocumented workers. Because of these factors that prevent the federal government from making the necessary changes, state governments must take initiative and prioritize passing policies to protect undocumented agricultural workers.

The Progression of Juvenile Justice Policy in Oregon

Presenter: Semeredin Kundin − Planning, Public Policy and Management, Political Science

Session: (In-Person) Oral Panel—Rights of Humans, Poster Presentation

The criminal justice system is incredibly vast and carries an intricate process within it. The overall system itself is meant to uphold public safety within our collective society by providing judgment on individuals, and determining consequences. Over time, it has been gradually acknowledged that the structures of our criminal justice systems aren’t meeting the needs or expectations of our evolving society. It’s being recognized that there are existing social and racial disparities within incarceration, a rise in recidivism rates, and the differing priorities of most State governments are why the concept of criminal justice reform came to fruition. However, there is no discussion of criminal justice reform without the consideration of the Juvenile Justice system. It’s been identified that youth interaction with the law, and the varying consequences they may receive can potentially alter the entire course of their life and growth. This research project reviews the impacts of public safety and criminal justice policy reform on the Juvenile Justice System in Oregon and compares it to national studies and priorities towards Juvenile Justice. By using both primary and secondary sources it was possible to identify the progression of policy reform in Oregon in comparison to the country as a whole. Due to the extensive research done, it’s simpler to comprehend that contemporary Juvenile Justice policy reform will be producing positive results for the criminal justice system.

Examining Evangelicalism in Faith-Based and Secular Anti-Human Trafficking NGOs

Presenter: Courtney Bourn − Sociology

Faculty Mentor(s): CJ Pascoe

(In-Person) Oral Panel—Rights of Humans

This research focuses on the sociopolitical role of Evangelical ideology in anti-human trafficking organizations through stigmatizing and criminalizing sex work in the United States. How do antihuman trafficking organizations utilize Evangelical beliefs about sex to control the moral narrative of sex work and influence policy? In order to address this question, I researched the websites of 8 antihuman trafficking NGOs, ranging from secular to explicitly faith-based, as well as interviewed 3 sex workers. My findings concluded that negative attitudes about sex work were pertinent amongst all of these NGOs, sharing almost-identical ideas regardless of religious affiliation, in contrast to more positive viewpoints expressed by the sex workers I interviewed. Consequently, Evangelical-oriented beliefs about gender and sexuality permeated arguments against sex work, framing it as a gendered act in which deviant, heterosexual males are the perpetrators of exploiting innocent, heterosexual females and children. This led me to infer that anti-human trafficking organizations base their solutions on reinforcing sexual standards rather than empowering sex workers. As sexual culture is changing and people are discussing the importance of sex workers’ rights, it is vital that NGOs are held accountable for the messages they convey and that organizations that empower sex workers are prioritized, not those who have an insidious mission to enforce their personal sexual standards and beliefs.