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U.S. Department of State 2003 Trafficking in Persons Report - The Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic (Tier 3)

[*Please note: Dominican Republic was updated to Tier 2 per President George W. Bush, Presidential Determination No. 2003-35, September 9, 2003.]

The Dominican Republic is a source, transit, and destination country for persons trafficked for sexual exploitation and forced labor. Dominicans are trafficked internally, particularly poor children who work as domestics. Some of the Dominican women and girls who are smuggled to Europe, the United States and elsewhere in the Western Hemisphere end up in trafficked situations. Some are trafficked to these destinations for sexual exploitation. Haitian children are trafficked into the Dominican Republic. In addition, some of the many Haitians who enter the Dominican Republic as illegal migrants become subject to trafficking abuses. Illegal migrants from a number of countries transit through the Dominican Republic; some may be trafficking victims.

The Government of the Dominican Republic does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so. While the government recognizes trafficking as a problem, the effectiveness of these measures is diminished by the government's incomplete efforts to convict traffickers and deal with public corruption. The Dominican Republic remains one of the largest victim source countries in the Western Hemisphere. In response, the government has not undertaken any notable prosecutions of traffickers. The government should enact comprehensive anti-trafficking legislation, which is under consideration in Congress.

Prevention

A committee of several government offices, known as CIPROM, works on prevention matters. The committee has worked with IOM to continue the distribution of printed materials that informs potential victims, particularly young women, of the dangers of trafficking. The government cooperates with the country's leading NGO fighting trafficking to distribute printed materials and run a telephone hotline. The government has been involved in a number of seminars and public activities, including hosting an assembly of the OAS's Inter-American Commission of Women that addressed trafficking.

Prosecution

The Dominican Republic has no comprehensive anti-trafficking statute but has used existing laws that apply to smuggling, domestic violence, and kidnapping to prosecute traffickers. Senior government officials have spoken out in general terms about the need to combat trafficking and acknowledge that trafficking is a problem, but law enforcement efforts have been lacking. Some arrests have been made, usually in the context of smuggling. However, penalties are lenient and rarely imposed, and kingpin traffickers are not prosecuted. Efforts by the government to work with victims to prosecute traffickers have been hampered by the victims' fear of the traffickers and the government's inability to protect victims. Several officials in the diplomatic and immigration services implicated in facilitating or even participating in trafficking activities have not faced sanctions. In the Foreign Affairs Ministry, internal procedures and practices in the context of visa issuance continue to be open to misuse.

Protection

The Secretariat of Women through CIPROM takes the lead on protection issues for the government. Working with NGOs and international organizations, the government opened a center to assist returning migrant women in 2003. IOM worked with the government to assist Dominican women trafficked to Argentina to return home. The Secretariat of Labor, working with ILO, has become more involved in protecting children at risk, a continuing area of concern.

In a positive development, the Foreign Affairs Ministry is training diplomatic personnel on trafficking issues and specifically how to assist victims overseas.

Topics: Smuggling of persons, Trafficking in persons,