Leslie Vasquez- Sexual Violence at the Border

Undocumented women and children have faced countless encounters of rapists while trying to find refuge in the United States, both by smugglers and Border Patrol. In this article, the stories of women and children being sexual abused by men who "promised" to help them cross the border safely is daunting. Many of them describe how the women were taken to isolated homes or areas by the border and had to spend days going through a traumatizing, inhumane act. There have been over 4,500 complaints by undocumented women and children being raped while crossing, and this is only the surface of the amount of people that have gone through this. Many of them do not come forward for the safety or their children and themselves.

This article mentions undocumented women and children are in the shadow of the #MeToo movement, which speaks up about the sexual abuse many people go through not only in the U.S., but in the world. I agree with that statement. Women and children that are raped and sexually abused at the border and even later when, or if, they find refuge in the U.S. aren't protected enough. Like many other women, they are forced to stay quiet. However, in some cases, there is more at risk for undocumented women, like being deported or losing their children by smugglers or officers who commit the act against them. There needs to be room for undocumented women and children to be able to come forward and not have to worry about any risk in doing so.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/03/us/border-rapes-migrant-women.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage