Periplo is a collaborative project that aims to contribute to the creation of a more equitable labor migration system in the agricultural supply chain in Mexico, and also between the United States and Mexico in order to protect the human rights of migrant agricultural workers.
Who We Are?
Periplo is a project led by Fundación Avina, implemented in collaboration with national and international civil society organizations and supported by a grant from the Walmart Foundation.
Led by:
In collaboration with:
Supported by a grant from the Walmart Foundation:
Also working
with Periplo:
What We Do
We promote the exercise of labor rights for migrant workers in the agricultural industry.
We work to strengthen the capability of workers organizations and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to support migrant agricultural workers throughout the entire recruitment process and during their employment, so that they know their rights and how to exercise them.
We promote the use of good practices in the private sector.
We support the implementation of good practices in the private sector, where the different stakeholders from supply chains comply with standards, regulations, and commitments to respect migrant workers’ rights, thereby improving both the recruitment process and working conditions.
We promote dialogue, exchange, and collaboration spaces between stakeholders.
We promote cross-sector and multi stakeholder alliances to advance policies, regulations, and accountability mechanisms to support the structural transformation and improvement of the recruitment system and labor conditions of migrant agricultural workers.
How We Work
The following activities included in Periplo’s plan are implemented with the support and collaboration of civil society organizations and include:
- Trainings on labor and human rights for migrant agricultural workers.
- Creation and dissemination of audiovisual materials and tools for migrant agricultural workers and the companies that hire them on good labor practices.
- Monitoring of recruitment processes and working conditions of migrant agricultural workers in Mexico and the United States in the agricultural supply chain within the migrant corridors.
- Collection of data and creation of reports, produced by Periplo’s partner organizations, on detected abuse cases against migrant workers, (particularly against women), during the recruitment process.
- Facilitation of collaborations between civil society organizations and other relevant actors, to produce recommendations for public policy and exchanges of good practices and lessons learned.
- Identification and promotion of good practices among private sector partners through training, experience exchanges, and guidelines.
- Periplo partners will join forces with other similar initiatives that promote labor and human rights in other industries at the national and international levels.
Our Reason For Being
In Mexico there are approximately 2.5 million migrant workers in the agricultural industry who regularly migrate from southern states to the north. On the other hand, the United States Department of Labor (DOL) certified 257,667 H-2A positions for temporary agricultural workers in 2019, which allows migrants to work temporarily in the agricultural industry in the United States.
About 75% of these visas were issued to mexican workers. Often, workers who obtain these visas have to pay high fees or travel expenses to get to the US, leaving them saddled with debt even before they start to work. Once in the US, the working conditions are often not the same as promised. Farmworkers in Mexico are also part of the transnational supply chain, as 60% of Mexico’s agricultural exports are destined for the United States.
Labor mobility in both contexts comes at a price for both migrant agricultural workers and the private sector if it is not properly regulated.
Recently, Periplo’s partner organizations have documented a disturbing number of cases of migrant agricultural workers exploitation, including discrimination during recruitment, illegal fees charges and fraud, denial of access to health services and decent housing, lack of social benefits, delayed or unpaid wages, and abusive behavior by recruiters and employers.
Periplo focuses particularly on women, who make up about one-third of the migrant agricultural workforce in the US. In Mexico, of the 2 million 330 thousand 305 people who worked as agricultural laborers in 2020, 12.7% were women. It is they who endure the greatest difficulties, as they are often subjected to sexual harassment by supervisors, employers and others in positions of power.
The COVID-19 health crisis underlines the importance of the agricultural sector to the economies of both Mexico and the United States. The pandemic, however, has highlighted the sector’s inequitable working conditions. Despite the fact that they are classified in the US as essential workers, migrant agricultural workers are often employed precariously and so are ineligible for sick leave or COVID-19 relief payments. In Mexico, migrant agricultural workers have even been excluded from the government’s National Vaccination Campaign, because they are continuously moving or lack the required documentation.
Press
Participation, Information, and Repair are Key Topics at Regional Forum on Due Diligence in the Agricultural Industry
The private sector urgently needs to shift from a voluntary model of corporate social responsibility to a standard of human rights due diligence to be able to prevent and repair abuses affecting workers and communities while also ensuring sustainability and profitability. Due diligence allows companies to proactively manage real and potential risks related to human rights.
MIGRANT WOMEN’S LABOR RIGHTS AT THE CENTER OF USMCA LABOR COUNCIL PUBLIC SESSION
July 3, 2023 - On June 29th, the Labor Council under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement held a virtual public session, where the Council addressed questions from workers, employers, civil society organizations, and the general public.