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Dadparvar
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The human rights watchdog Corporate Accountability Lab (CAL) released a report on Tuesday finding that forced labor persists on sugarcane plantations in the Dominican Republic (DR). CAL called for the US to impose an import ban in response to the publication.
The alleged labor abuses include issues with both working and living conditions. Workers reported inaccurate and low wages, lack of potable water during the workday, lack of sanitation and electricity, and violent treatment by private security forces, among other things.
The majority of sugarcane field workers are Haitian or of Haitian descent, either permanently settled or recent migrants. CAL’s report documents significant barriers and immigration policies that prevent Haitians from obtaining documents and building a secure life in the DR, meaning that they are “particularly vulnerable to labor exploitation.” One worker told CAL about this challenging cycle, stating: “Of course I want to leave … but I don’t have the documents that would allow me to do what I want to do.”
Another worker described the culture of fear and uncertainty. “I want to complain every week but since everyone is so scared, nobody will support you,” they said.
The company at the center of the investigation is Central Romana, the largest landowner and employer in the DR. The company is incorporated in Florida and also owns ASR Group, the world’s largest refiner of cane sugar. The companies are owned by the powerful Fanjul family, who have known ties to US President Donald Trump’s administration, including hosting a fundraiser that grossed approximately $50 million for Trump’s campaign and making millions in donations to the Make America Great Again Political Action Committee.
Former President Joe Biden’s administration imposed a previous import ban in 2022 based on “reasonable indication” of forced labor. At the time, this included five of the International Labour Organization’s indicators of forced labor: abuse of vulnerability, isolation, withholding of wages, abusive working and living conditions, and excessive overtime.
Central Romana responded by lobbying the US government to have the ban removed. Trump quietly lifted the ban in 2025, following the above donations, raising allegations of financial influence on the decision. Advocates, including CAL, indicated that there was no significant change in working and living conditions to warrant lifting the ban.
Central Romana was offered the opportunity to respond to the allegations in the report. They profusely denied all findings, expressing shock that CAL would be willing to publish a report that was “riddled with inaccuracies and untruths.”
CAL is a nonprofit founded in 2017 to respond to widespread human rights violations in the corporate context. The organization’s mission is to harness “the creative potential of the law,” to diminish corporate abuse, and to protect people and the planet.
The mistreatment of Haitians in the DR has been long-documented by other rights groups, including Amnesty International. These abuses include mass deportations and racial profiling.
The post Corporate human rights watchdog finds forced labor persists on Dominican Republic plantations appeared first on JURIST - News.
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The alleged labor abuses include issues with both working and living conditions. Workers reported inaccurate and low wages, lack of potable water during the workday, lack of sanitation and electricity, and violent treatment by private security forces, among other things.
The majority of sugarcane field workers are Haitian or of Haitian descent, either permanently settled or recent migrants. CAL’s report documents significant barriers and immigration policies that prevent Haitians from obtaining documents and building a secure life in the DR, meaning that they are “particularly vulnerable to labor exploitation.” One worker told CAL about this challenging cycle, stating: “Of course I want to leave … but I don’t have the documents that would allow me to do what I want to do.”
Another worker described the culture of fear and uncertainty. “I want to complain every week but since everyone is so scared, nobody will support you,” they said.
The company at the center of the investigation is Central Romana, the largest landowner and employer in the DR. The company is incorporated in Florida and also owns ASR Group, the world’s largest refiner of cane sugar. The companies are owned by the powerful Fanjul family, who have known ties to US President Donald Trump’s administration, including hosting a fundraiser that grossed approximately $50 million for Trump’s campaign and making millions in donations to the Make America Great Again Political Action Committee.
Former President Joe Biden’s administration imposed a previous import ban in 2022 based on “reasonable indication” of forced labor. At the time, this included five of the International Labour Organization’s indicators of forced labor: abuse of vulnerability, isolation, withholding of wages, abusive working and living conditions, and excessive overtime.
Central Romana responded by lobbying the US government to have the ban removed. Trump quietly lifted the ban in 2025, following the above donations, raising allegations of financial influence on the decision. Advocates, including CAL, indicated that there was no significant change in working and living conditions to warrant lifting the ban.
Central Romana was offered the opportunity to respond to the allegations in the report. They profusely denied all findings, expressing shock that CAL would be willing to publish a report that was “riddled with inaccuracies and untruths.”
CAL is a nonprofit founded in 2017 to respond to widespread human rights violations in the corporate context. The organization’s mission is to harness “the creative potential of the law,” to diminish corporate abuse, and to protect people and the planet.
The mistreatment of Haitians in the DR has been long-documented by other rights groups, including Amnesty International. These abuses include mass deportations and racial profiling.
The post Corporate human rights watchdog finds forced labor persists on Dominican Republic plantations appeared first on JURIST - News.
Continue reading...
Note: We don't have any responsibilities about this news. Its been posted here by Feed Reader and we had no controls and checking on it. And because News posted here will be deleted automatically after 21 days, threads are closed so that no one spend time to post and discuss here. You can always check the source and discuss in their site.