U.S. Corporations Discriminating Against Women at Maquiladoras
(Human Rights Watch Update, October 1996)

  Export-processing factories (maquiladoras) along the U.S.- Mexico border are routinely subjecting prospective female employees to pregnancy tests, and asking invasive questions about their sexual habits, the use of contraceptives and plans for children to screen out pregnant women. Women who get pregnant after they are hired are often forced to work unpaid overtime, and are reassigned to physically more difficult work, in an effort to make them leave.

  In "No Guarantees: Sex discrimination in Mexico's Maquiladora Sector", HRW interviews women from more than forty maquiladoras in the Mexican states of Baja California, Chihuahua and Tamaulipas. Pregnancy testing violates Mexican federal law and its constitution, as well as international labor law and discriminates against women. Mexican government practice is to only protect women who have already been hired from discrimination. The insidious result ofthis policy is to virtually guarantee that the women screened out before hiring will never find a remedy.

  At least 90% of maquiladoras are owned by major U.S. corporations like General Motors, AT&T and General Electric. HRW calls on the corporations to take the lead against mandatory pregnancy testingand questions on contraceptive use or sexual habits. HRW further urges corporations to take responsibility for human rights violated at their behest and require subcontractors to comply with these same standards.

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