Did you catch the fascinating "Keeping Them Honest" special report on "Anderson Cooper 360°"?
Basically, the provocative news story from Joe Johns, highlighted abominal working conditions amongst the Haitians, who are whacking down the sugar canes in the Dominican Republic.
The footage was extraordinary: It certainly could’ve been a scene from over 100 years ago, where you saw men performing incredibly arduous work for absurdly low pay. Even more horrifying — these people didn’t get an hourly wage; they’re paid by how much sugar cane they cut down.
Missed the eye-opening piece? Didn’t TiVo it? Check out the intriguing post from CNN producer Steve Turnham, entitled, "Is Sugar Production Modern-Day Slavery?" He explains the situation that confronts workers:
"Sugar cane workers live in what are called bateys, small settlements of a few hundred people dotted among the cane fields. The Vicinis showed us one of the bateys. It appeared to have plumbing and electricity; the people seemed happy, and there was a shop, and a school.
"But just down the road, we came across another batey, where other Vicini workers lived, that was not on the official tour. No running water, no electricity, too little food. The old or infirm looked like they were starving. One old man told us he hadn’t eaten in four days. Children told us they planted cane in Vicini fields for three pesos a row. It takes a half day to plant a row. Three pesos is a penny.
"The company says it doesn’t hire children, but that it can’t always control what unscrupulous subcontractors do. And it said it is trying to improve the lives of the workers, with an ambitious plan to build hundreds of new houses."
You can read more here and also post a comment.
By the way, what makes this close-to-slavery circumstance so tragic is that much of the sugar from the Dominican Republic finds its way to America, where ironically, many people land up feeling like slaves to sugar.
Don’t believe me? Join my KickSugar support group, where you’ll hear people bemoaning their fate.