The film focuses on the exploitation of Haitian workers on sugar plantations in the Dominican Republic.  As we will discuss tonight, labor rights abuses are widespread in the sugar industry.  Problems of child labor, forced labor, poor living conditions, low wages and long hours, unsafe working conditions, denial of the right to organize and harassment of women workers can be found on many sugar plantations.  For more information, check out these reports on the sugar industry from the ILRF.

Another major issue facing the workers in the film, is the denial of citizenship rights to Haitians and Dominicans of Haitian descent living in the Dominican Republic.  The RFK Memorial Center for Human Rights has more information on this topic.  They gave their 2006 Human Rights Award to Sonia Pierre whose organization, MUDHA, works to empower women in the Dominican-Haitian community.

Join us TONIGHT or check out the film when it comes to you.  The Price of Sugar has a MySpace page with preview videos here.