Human Trafficking in  [Dominican Republic]  [other countries]
Street Children in  [Dominican Republic]  [other countries]
Child Prostitution in  [Dominican Republic]  [other countries]
 

Prevalence, Abuse & Exploitation of Street Children

Dominican Republic                                                                   [ Country-by-Country Reports ]

The Dominican Republic [map], West Indies, is located on the eastern two thirds of the island of Hispaniola.  Its capital and largest city is Santo Domingo.  Although the country has long been viewed primarily as an exporter of sugar, coffee, and tobacco, in recent years the service sector has overtaken agriculture as the economy's largest employer, due to growth in tourism and free trade zones. The country suffers from marked income inequality; the poorest half of the population receives less than one-fifth of GNP, while the richest 10% enjoys nearly 40% of national income.

 

CAUTION:  The following links and accompanying text have been culled from the web to illuminate the situation in Dominican Republic.  Some of these links may lead to websites that present allegations that are unsubstantiated or even false.  No attempt has been made to validate their authenticity or to verify their content.

UNICEF - The Big Picture

Quick Search for Missing Children - Select Gender, Country, and Years Missing

U.S. Dept of Labor Bureau of International Labor Affairs

INCIDENCE AND NATURE OF CHILD LABOR - Children also work as street vendors and shoe shiners.  Some children also work as domestic servants in homes of third parties.  Children from poor families are sometimes “adopted” into the homes of other families, often serving under a kind of indentured servitude, while other poor and homeless children are sometimes forced to beg and sell goods on the streets.

Bur of Democracy, Human Rights & Labor - Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2005

NATIONAL/RACIAL/ETHNIC MINORITIES  - The IOM estimated that approximately 650 thousand Haitian immigrants--or 7.5 percent of the country's population--lived in shantytowns or sugarcane work camps known as bateyes, which were harsh environments with limited or no electricity, usually no running water, and no adequate schooling.

Concluding Observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) - 2001

[23] In the light of article 2 and other related articles of the Convention, the Committee recommends that the State party take, as a matter of priority, effective measures to ensure that children of Haitian origin born in the State party's territory or belonging to Haitian migrant families have the same access to housing, education and health services as other children. The Committee also recommends that the State party strengthen and increase measures to reduce economic and social disparities, including between urban and rural areas; to prevent discrimination against the most disadvantaged groups of children, such as girls, children with disabilities, children living in and/or working on the streets; and children living in rural areas; and to guarantee their full enjoyment of all the rights as recognized in the Convention.

[45] Concern is expressed at the large number of children living and/or working on the streets.

Dominican Tourism Police will ID vendors, rescues street children

STREET CHILDREN - The official also said the program to rescue minors who roam the streets, beaches and avenues advances, and the children are taken to shelters operated by the Office of the First Lady and other government agencies. He said the program will also include Boca Chica, Juan Dolio and other places tourists frequent by the thousands.

Situation Of Minors In The Dominican Republic

E. CHILD PROSTITUTION  -  425. In the Dominican Republic, there is a considerable population of minors for whom the streets have become home, who have faced a hostile world from an early age.  Most "street children" beg as a means of subsistence; one-third turn to robbery and other means to get by, such as selling drugs; and approximately one-fifth engage in prostitution.

"Yo También" offers Dominican street kids a home1

In the heart Santo Domingo, there are children with no place to go.  They are the city's street children.  And they sleep in parks, work small jobs and beg or steal food, having left homes too poor to care for them or watched their parents die of AIDS.

Traffickers Target Haitian Children

Traffickers on either side of the shared border smuggle the youngsters into the Dominican Republic to work as farm hands, construction workers and street peddlers.  Once inside the country, Haitian boys and girls are usually forced to beg on the streets, while older youths are shipped off to farms or construction sites, the report said.

Street Children of the Dominican Republic [mp3]

Thousands of children in the Caribbean are living on the streets -- doing the unimaginable, simply to survive. World Vision Radio's Peggy Wehmeyer takes us to the Dominican Republic to report on a very different definition of childhood.

Committee On The Rights Of The Child (CRC) Initial Report Of The Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic had the necessary infrastructure to provide street children with education and training, the delegation said; however, what the country lacked was the technical know-how and assistance in the field; and the Government was expecting much from the international community.

Treaties and Reports to Treaty Bodies

Concern was also expressed over ... reports received on the occurrence of child labor and child exploitation, including sexual exploitation; the increasing number of street children; the low rate of school enrolment ...

Protection Project - Country Report [DOC]

FORMS OF TRAFFICKING - Haitian girls have been trafficked along the border with the Dominican Republic, and thousands of Haitian children reportedly have been trafficked into the Dominican Republic, where they are forced to beg in the streets or perform manual labor

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Human Trafficking in  [Dominican Republic]  [other countries]
Street Children in  [Dominican Republic]  [other countries]
Child Prostitution in  [Dominican Republic]  [other countries]