The charge d’affaires of the United States, Robert Thomas, reiterated that the sanctions against the Central Romana Corporation of course mistreatment of the sugar cane workers.
“There have been more than 10 years of continuous investigations that have been carried out and we are going to work hand in hand to correct these situations and be able to certify that they have corrected these actions,” said the US official.
On his side, the Minister of Agriculture of the Dominican Republic, Limber Cruz, explained to journalists that the company must demonstrate that “they are the ones who are right; as obviously we understand that it is so.
Under the accusation of forced labor, USA prohibited since November 23, the entry of unrefined sugar, and sugar-based products, produced in the Dominican Republic by the Roman Central.
The Office of Customs and Border Protection of (CBP, for its acronym in English) ordered its agents to detain the products of Central Romana through the Release Hold Order (WRO) released yesterday “based on information that reasonably indicates the use of forced labor in their operations”.
The Central Romana Corporation is a recognized business group installed in the country for more than 100 years, now owned by the Fanjul family, with investments in tourism, manufacturing, and agribusiness.
In the statement, CBP identified 5 of the 11 indicators of forced labor of the International Labor Organization (ILO) in its investigation: abuse of vulnerability, isolation, wage withholding, abusive working and living conditions, and excessive overtime.
Can read: Central Romana has “unfortunate record”, Robert Thomas
“This Detainer Release Order demonstrates the commitment of US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to protecting human rights and international labor standards and promoting a fair and competitive global marketplace,” the commissioner said. CBP Acting, Troy Miller.
“The agency will continue to set a high global standard by aggressively investigating allegations of forced labor in US supply chains and keeping contaminated merchandise out of the United States.”
Report
CBP refers to the September 2022 report of the ILO, entitled “Global estimates of modern slavery: forced labor and forced marriage”, in which it estimates that almost 28 million workers suffer conditions of forced labor.
“CBP continues to set the international standard to ensure that goods manufactured with forced labor do not enter US commerce,” he said. Ann Marie R. HighsmithDeputy Executive Commissioner of the CBP Office of Commerce.
“Manufacturers like Central Romana, who break our laws, will face consequences as we remove these inhumane practices from US supply chains,” he said.
