Cane field laborers who have long demanded access to basic benefits demonstrate outside the Ministry of Labor in the Dominican Republic's capital Santo Domingo. Most of the cane cultivation in the Dominican Republic is done by Haitians or their descendants who say they work 70-hour weeks for the equivalent of about $10 a day. They all work illegally, a better option than none in poverty-riddled and gang violence-torn Haiti, which shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic. Under a special dispensation, separate from Dominican citizens, Haitian workers contribute to a social welfare system in the hopes of benefiting from access to healthcare and a pension. However, when they need it, many have their applications denied. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES