Enduring Exclusion - talk by Micely Díaz Espaillat

Join us online for a talk by Micely Díaz Espaillat on February 19 at 10 a.m., followed by a Q+A discussion period. This event is co-organized by the Aging in Data project at the ACT Lab and the engAGE Centre for Research on Aging.

Title

Enduring Exclusion: Barriers to Pension Rights for Older Haitian Sugarcane Workers in the Dominican Republic

Abstract

Older Haitian sugarcane workers in the Dominican Republic face severe challenges in accessing pensions, despite decades of labor. These challenges stem from systemic violations of labor and documentation rights, reinforced by discriminatory laws and institutional barriers that perpetuate racism and social exclusion.

This qualitative study, grounded in social justice perspectives, relies on primary data from interviews with key informants to explore the lived experiences of older sugarcane workers. The findings reveal how bureaucratic inefficiencies and a lack of political will deny these workers their rightful pensions, forcing them to continue working in precarious conditions to survive. The presentation exposes the systemic neglect and structural inequalities that perpetuate human rights violations and calls for transformative reform to confront entrenched marginalization, aiming to restore justice and dignity to older sugarcane workers.

About the speaker

Micely Díaz Espaillat is a social worker who graduated from the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD). She holds master’s degrees in International Development from the University of Bath (UK) and in International Peace Studies from the University for Peace (Costa Rica). Micely is currently a research associate at the Institute of Social Research for Development (ISD) and a DAAD scholarship recipient, pursuing a Ph.D. in Political and Cultural Change at the Center for Development Research (ZEF) at the University of Bonn.