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Women throughout the world are denied human rights in the labor force with no effective redress. Governments turn a blind eye to illegal practices and enact and enforce discriminatory laws. Corporations and private individuals engage in abusive and sexist practices without fear of official condemnation or sanction. For example, job advertisements in Ukraine often specify "man" among the requirements for work in business and government agencies, and employers often deny women employment based on age and marital status and family status. Private manufacturing companies in Mexico, Guatemala, Dominican Republic routinely oblige female job applicants to undergo pregnancy exams as a condition of work and deny work to pregnant women. South African farm owners deny black women farm workers legal contracts, pay them less than men for similar work, and deny them maternity benefits. Guatemala’s labor code denies live-in domestic workers — many of whom are indigenous women — equal rights under the labor code. Women are often the last chosen for retraining programs and the first to be fired, particularly in transitional economies and in economic recessions, when downsizing leads to discrimination. Sexual harassment and violence in the workplace are common and constant threats to working women’s lives and livelihoods. Women migrant workers in Malaysia and Saudi Arabia are especially vulnerable to abuse, including trafficking and forced labor. 



  

  

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