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Batey, the not so sweet existence in the heart of cane. { 27 images } Created 13 Jan 2014

The plight of Haitian sugarcane workers working on the plantations of the Dominican Republic has been called a form of modern day slavery. Indentured servitude and forced labor in the fields. Housing in unsanitary conditions with lack of clean water and limited access to medical & health services and education. Now, those born in the Dominican Republic of Haitian decent have had their citizenship revoked. Identified as being in transit from a country some have never seen or know little about.
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  • Hato Mayor del Rey, Dominican Republic- The sun rises above the majestic landscape of the Dominican Republic. Known by many for the beach vacations at resorts on the coasts, the Dominican Republic also is home to sugarcane worker communities known as bateyes. The bateyes, according to a  U.S. Labor Department report issued 27 Sept 13, have " deplorable and unsanitary living conditions. A USDA estimate put US consumption of sugar at approx 80lbs per person, of which cane accounts for 80% of sugar produced. (Photo by Robert Falcetti)
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  • Batey 50, Dominican Republic- A woman tends to her ill husband in their small hut at workers’ community on a sugarcane plantation known as Batey 50. These villages, bateyes, often lack clean water, adequate housing, medical services, and other basic sanitary services. (Photo by Robert Falcetti)
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  • Batey 50, Dominican Republic- A Haitian sugarcane worker stands outside his small hut in the sugarcane workers village Batey 50. Many of the cane workers earn less than what the law allows according to a U.S. Department of Labor report issued 27 Sept 13. Dominican law sets the minimum wage for field workers in the sugar sector at 129 pesos ($3.08) per eight-hour workday, yet many workers claim they earn an average of $2.00 per 12-hour workday. Life in the worker's communities, known as bateyes is difficult, exacerbated by the lack of clean drinking water. These villages also often lack adequate housing, medical services, and other basic sanitary services. (Photo by Robert Falcetti)
    Batey-Dominican Republic-sugarcane-H...jpg
  • Consuelo, Dominican Republic- A Haitian sugarcane worker gathers cane in the fields near the village of Consuelo, Dominican Republic.  A U.S. Department of Labor report issued 27 Sept 13 "finds evidence of apparent and potential violations of labor law in the Dominican sugar sector, concerning: (1) acceptable conditions of work with respect to minimum wages, hours of work, and occupational safety and health, such as payments below the minimum wage, 12-hour work days, seven-day work weeks, lack of potable water, and the absence of safety equipment; (2) a minimum age for the employment of children and the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labor; and (3) a prohibition on the use of any form of forced or compulsory labor." (Photo by Robert Falcetti)
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  • Consuelo, Dominican Republic- A Haitian sugarcane worker carries a bucket of water to her small home in the batty village near Consuelo. Many of the cane workers earn less than what the law allows according to a U.S. Department of Labor report issued 27 Sept 13. Dominican law sets the minimum wage for field workers in the sugar sector at 129 pesos ($3.08) per eight-hour workday, yet many workers claim they earn an average of $2.00 per 12-hour workday. Life in the worker's communities, known as bateyes is difficult, exacerbated by the lack of clean drinking water. These villages also often lack adequate housing, medical services, and other basic sanitary services. (Photo by Robert Falcetti)
    Batey-Dominican Republic-sugarcane-H...jpg
  • Consuelo, Dominican Republic- Haitian sugarcane workers in the fields near the village of Consuelo, Dominican Republic work clearing a field after the primary harvest.  A U.S. Department of Labor report issued 27 Sept 13 "finds evidence of apparent and potential violations of labor law in the Dominican sugar sector, concerning: (1) acceptable conditions of work with respect to minimum wages, hours of work, and occupational safety and health, such as payments below the minimum wage, 12-hour work days, seven-day work weeks, lack of potable water, and the absence of safety equipment; (2) a minimum age for the employment of children and the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labor; and (3) a prohibition on the use of any form of forced or compulsory labor." (Photo by Robert Falcetti)
    Batey-Dominican Republic-sugarcane-H...jpg
  • Batey 50, Dominican Republic- After Cuba, the Dominican Republic is the second-largest Caribbean producer of sugarcane, the nation's most important crop. The State Sugar Council operates 12 sugar mills and accounts for about half of total production. Other large producers are the privately owned Vicini, with three mills, and Central Romana Corporation, whose mill is the largest in the country. A USDA estimate put US consumption of sugar at approximately 80 lbs per person, of which cane accounts for 80% of sugar produced. (Photo by Robert Falcetti)
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  • Near Hato Mayor del Rey, Dominican Republic- Workers communities' known as bateyes, such as this very small unnamed batey near the 10 mile marker outside Hato Mayor del Rey, Dominican Republic, often lack adequate housing, medical services, and other basic sanitary services. (Photo by Robert Falcetti)
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  • Consuelo, Dominican Republic- A Haitian sugarcane worker in the fields near the village of Consuelo, Dominican Republic carries an empty bottle he uses for water. A U.S. Department of Labor report issued 27 Sept 13 reported interviewed workers stated that they are not provided with potable water during the <br />
workday.  This problem is exacerbated by the lack of clean drinking water in some workers’ communities, known as bateyes, where most workers employed in the sugar sector traditionally reside. These villages also often lack adequate housing, medical services, and other basic sanitary services. The USDA estimate put US consumption of sugar at approximately 80 lbs. per person, of which cane accounts for 80% of sugar produced. (Photo by Robert Falcetti)
    Batey-Dominican Republic-sugarcane-H...jpg
  • Consuelo, Dominican Republic- Sugarcane is harvested near the village of Consuelo, Dominican Republic. Dominican sugarcane is harvested by Haitian migrant laborers who live in plantation villages known as a Batey. A USDA estimate put US consumption of sugar at approximately 80 lbs. per person, of which cane accounts for 80% of sugar produced. (Photo by Robert Falcetti)
    Batey-Dominican Republic-sugarcane-H...jpg
  • Batey AB-4, Dominican Republic- A Haitian sugarcane worker in Batey AB-4. Many of the cane workers earn less than what the law allows according to a U.S. Department of Labor report issued 27 Sept 13. Dominican law sets the minimum wage for field workers in the sugar sector at 129 pesos ($3.08) per eight-hour workday, yet many workers claim they earn an average of $2.00 per 12-hour workday. Life in the worker's communities, known as bateyes is difficult, exacerbated by the lack of clean drinking water. These villages also often lack adequate housing, medical services, and other basic sanitary services. (Photo by Robert Falcetti)
    Batey-Dominican Republic-sugarcane-H...jpg
  • Hato Mayor del Rey, Dominican Republic-  Dominican children entertain themselves with a street fight in Hator Mayor del Rey. A recent ruling by the Constitutional Court in the Dominican Republic states Dominicans born after 1929 to parents who are not of Dominican ancestry are to have their citizenship revoked. The ruling affects an estimated 250,000 Dominican people of Haitian descent, including many who have had no personal connection with Haiti for several generations. (Photo by Robert Falcetti)
    Batey-Dominican Republic-sugarcane-H...jpg
  • Batey50, Dominican Republic- Children line up for a food distribution offered by an American Christian mission organization. The missionary organizations are often most active between harvests when the Haitian workers of the bateyes have little means of earning enough money to support their families.   (Photo by Robert Falcetti)
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  • Batey 50, Dominican Republic- A Haitian sugarcane worker in Batey 50 shows a skin condition she can not get treated. The workers earn an average of less than $3 per day and are housed in worker communities known as bateyes. These small villages often have deplorable and unsanitary living conditions.  (Photo by Robert Falcetti)
    Batey-Dominican Republic-sugarcane-H...jpg
  • Batey 50, Dominican Republic- A Haitian sugarcane cutter in Batey 50 carries a bundle of cut cane. The workers earn an average of less than $3 per day and are housed in worker communities known as bateyes. These small villages often have deplorable and unsanitary <br />
living conditions.  (Photo by Robert Falcetti)
    Batey-Dominican Republic-sugarcane-H...jpg
  • Batey Vasca, Dominican Republic- A young Haitian sugarcane worker takes a break in Batey Vasca. A recent U.S. Department of Labor report claims the Dominican government has failed to to effectively enforce labor laws including child labor.  (Photo by Robert Falcetti)
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  • Batey Vasca, Dominican Republic- The hands of a woman shucks small beans. A ten-pound bag of beans and a gallon of oil delivered by some aid agencies is sometimes the only food a family receives between harvest when workers are not paid. The food will provide one meal a day for a family of four for one month.  (Photo by Robert Falcetti)
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  • Hato Mayor del Rey, Dominican Republic- Women wash laundry in outdoor buckets at an unnamed batey near Hato Mayor del Rey.  Limited opportunity outside of the small workers' communities known as bateyes are available for the Haitian migrant workers who work in the fields of the  Dominican Republic's sugarcane plantations.  (Photo by Robert Falcetti)
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  • Batey Vasca, Dominican Republic-  A sugarcane worker in Batey Vasca. A recent ruling by the Constitutional Court of the Dominican Republic has terminated citizenship rights to anyone born after 1929 to parents who are not of Dominican ancestry. These Dominican citizens are suddenly stateless and without rights simply because of their Haitian ancestry. (Photo by Robert Falcetti)
    Batey-Dominican Republic-sugarcane-H...jpg
  • Batey AB-4, Dominican Republic-  A baseball diamond is cleared in a small field in Batey AB-4. Baseball is a favorite past time of Dominicans and sugarcane workers living in the bateyes, the small villages that house the work force for the Dominican sugarcane industry. (Photo by Robert Falcetti)
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  • Consuelo, Dominican Republic- A group of young ball players, whose parents work in the sugarcane fields surrounding the village of Consuelo, are part of the Manny Acta Liga. Acta is a former player and manager in the Major Leagues. The children, born to Haitian parents living and working in the bateyes, will have their citizenship revoked after a ruling by the Constitutional Court in the Dominican Republic. The ruling could affect as many as 250,000 people in the Dominican Republic making it challenging for them just to live as before. It will  impede the right to education, to work, to legally marry, to register their children, to open bank accounts and also to leave the country that now rejects them, because they cannot obtain or renew their passports.  (Photo by Robert Falcetti)
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  • Batey AB-4, Dominican Republic- A young girl works in a privately-owned store, or colmados, located within the bateyes. A recent U.S. Department of Labor report stated "Because many bateyes are isolated, these colmados are often the sole sources of food and other provisions available to workers living in bateyes. Some interviewed workers reported that colmados typically inflate the prices of their goods, forcing workers, in some cases, <br />
to purchase food and other goods on credit, as the workers do not have sufficient money <br />
to pay upfront. Colmados charge high interest rates for the privilege of purchasing goods on credit, however, and as a result, workers’ debts to colmados can quickly balloon over the course of a harvest season. he cycle of indebtedness engendered by <br />
the colmado system further limits the money that some Haitian migrant workers have available for transportation out of the bateyes and back to Haiti, thereby limiting their ability to leave the bateyes, even between harvest seasons. It thus negatively affects workers’ mobility and adds to their vulnerability to forced labor." (Photo by Robert Falcetti)
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  • Consuelo, Dominican Republic- An elderly sugarcane worker rests during the workday. Elderly sugarcane workers are especially affected by the harsh working environment of the sugarcane plantations and earn less than younger workers who can cut and produce more cane by ton than the elderly workers.  (Photo by Robert Falcetti)
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  • Batey 50, Dominican Republic- A small girl is watched over by her father in Batey 50. Children are expected to help with chores and often end up working in the sugarcane fields alongside their parents and siblings to help the family survive. A recent report issued by the U.S. Department of Labor listed child labor as one of it's top three areas of concern.  (Photo by Robert Falcetti)
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  • San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic- A youngster runs along one of the small dirt roads leading into the sugarcane plantations and the worker communities known as bateyes. (Photo by Robert Falcetti)
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  • Consuelo, Dominican Republic- American missionary Jameson Curtis from Pennsylvania prays for a Haitian sugarcane worker in the batty near Consuelo, Dominican Republic. American missionaries work within the sugarcane worker communities known as bateyes to offer spiritual as well as medical, construction and food relief for the workers. (Photo by Robert Falcetti)
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  • Batey AB-4, Dominican Republic-  A child plays outside a home in Batey AB-4. A recent ruling by the Constitutional Court of the Dominican Republic has terminated citizenship rights to anyone born after 1929 to parents who are not of Dominican ancestry. These Dominican citizens are suddenly stateless and without rights simply because of their Haitian ancestry. (Photo by Robert Falcetti)
    Batey-Dominican Republic-sugarcane-H...jpg