Dominican Republic

UPHOLDING HUMAN RIGHTS AFFECTED BY THE SUGAR EXPLOITATION IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Despite its relative democratic stability, the Dominican Republic still presents massive economic inequalities and a few powerful national and multinational corporations exercise significant economic and political influence. Among these are sugar industry giants. The company Central Romana Corp. is the largest private employer in the country. However, the working conditions of its employees are extremely precarious. Moreover, in January 2016, sixty families were victims of forced evictions by the company and found themselves without a home. Recurrent forced evictions and land insecurity and the lack of respect for basic economic, social and cultural rights continue to undermine the social stability in the country. Dominicans for Justice and Peace wants to continue lending the victims of forced evictions and sugar workers its support and enable the local population to recognize human rights abuses and to report them at the national and international levels.

We will not lose heart in the fight to uphold human rights and dignity that are affected by the sugar industry in the Dominican Republic!

Help us fight against human rights violations committed by big sugar producers!

Project title: Upholding human rights affected by the sugar exploitation in the Dominican Republic

Location: Province of El Seibo and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Main objective:  To empower the Dominican and civil society network in the Dominican Republic to promote human rights against the negative impacts of sugar exploitation.

Duration: 12 months

Direct beneficiaries: The Dominican and civil society network in the Dominican Republic as well as the families and communities in El Seibo, particularly:

– Victims of forced evictions by Central Romana;

– Sugar cane workers working for Central Romana; and

– Local communities who struggle to have access to land

Indirect beneficiaries: All communities affected by the sugar industry and sugar cane workers at the country level

Main Activities:

1. Systematically and efficiently identify human rights violations in the sugar sector;
2. Pursue direct assistance of the victims in the judicial process against Central Romanaand Fanjul Corporation in Florida for the case of forced evictions in 2016 ;
3. Produce communication material around the human rights impacts of sugar exploitation ;
4. Report human rights violations in the Dominican Republic at the UN Human Rights Council ;
5. Training and exposure of partners to the UN mechanisms in Geneva.

Expected Results :

1. The working conditions of sugar cane workers and the activities of sugar cane corporations will bedocumented and their impacts on local communities will be constantly monitored ;
2. The judicial case against the perpetrators of the forced evictions in January 2016 will be monitored and victims will be regularly informed on the development of the case ;
3. Human rights violations will be reported at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva through a strong collaboration between partners on the ground and staff in Geneva ;
4. The leadership of the Dominican and civil society network in promoting human rights will be consolidated.