just a guess, but as you said "lomas" means "the sticks"

I think in your context, this is the word I would use....

"loma" also means= hillock, hill, rise

Hope it helps!

Saludos. Maria ;o)

Just to second the first reply, from the Oxford SuperLex:

loma f hill; (más pequeño) hillock; en la loma del diablo or del
peludo or del quinoto (RPl fam) (out) in the sticks (colloq), in
the boondocks o boonies (AmE colloq), in the back of beyond
(BrE)

"RPI" = +/- Southern Cone of S. Amer., which should fit the Peru context.

It would probably take a Peruvian to answer this with complete confidence, and I'm not Peruvian. However, from your context of an abusive situation, chumps or patsies or victims would seem to fit in just fine.

(Escape goat is spelled scapegoat, but in any event would not be appropriate here.)

This is a slang term used in Peru meaning "people with not much income." We refer to the term as "hillbilly" or "poor country folk"

The phrase in Spanish is referring to their lack of incentive pay, although the services are minimal or bad.

I hope this helps you!

Hola, upon the context you give, i can't think but of two things: (1) leave it as it is, it's a nickname; or (2), think of "lomos" which in Spanish means "back" of the (animal) body and think of the injustice they had to put up with...carry on their backs (in English we'd say shoulders, in Spanish we carry burdens on backs). What animals do these jobs? For instance: mules (mulas); or (3) do these women live in some low hilly side of Perú? For what i know, there you either live on hills or next to them...then I'd go for "hill women". Still, any Peruvian colleagues out there???
Good luck :)