Media Advisory: Migrant Worker Forced to Flee Farm due to Abuse to Tell His Story

COAST SALISH TERRITORIES (VANCOUVER), Aug. 15, 2018 /CNW/ - Tomorrow, August 16th, the Migrant Workers' Dignity Association (MWDA) will hold a press conference with Noe Barrientos-Benitez, a temporary foreign worker from Mexico, who will talk about the dreadful three months he has endured in a Surrey, British Columbia farm, which he has since fled in order to protect his safety.

The MWDA is the organization that is supporting Noe, after the Mexican Consulate and Employment and Social Development Canada's (ESDC) Integrity Policy and Program Intelligence Division, which is in charge of protecting the integrity of temporary foreign workers in Canada, refused to address the situation of harassment and abuse reported to them. In order to guarantee the safety of Noe, and for him to remain in Canada with a valid immigration status, the MWDA has also helped him apply for an Open Work Permit.

Who:
Noe Barrientos-Benitez, temporary foreign worker from Mexico Gil Aguilar, Migrant Workers' Dignity Association Byron Cruz, Sanctuary Health Juanita Sundberg, Associate Professor, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia
What:	Press conference with migrant farm worker who will speak out about the abuse he's endured since May 2018.
When:	Thursday, August 16th, 10:00 AM PST.
Where:	In front of Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (300 W Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC)

While the MWDA has assisted hundreds of workers since its founding in 2015, Mr. Barrientos-Benitez's case marks a breakthrough in the fight for migrant workers' rights, as he has decided to flee the farm and speak about his situation, something temporary workers rarely dare to do out of fear of reprisal and blacklisting by employers and the Mexican government.

SOURCE Migrant Workers Dignity Association

Raimundo Lanas, Media Liaison, 604-379-1711, [email protected]