The Dominican authorities have announced this week have rescued 44 children, 10 under 2 years and 30 Haitian adults who were exploited as beggars in Santo Domingo by a network of human traffickers. The Director of Immigration, Siegfried Wall said during a press conference that 74 people were detained in a former private nursery in a marginal neighborhood west of the capital (Kennedy Street, Los Rieles sector in Los Alcarrizos)

Wall said that during the operation 10 Haitian immigrants were arrested and submitted to justice as alleged members of a gang who exploited them. They will be charged for transfer and use of children and individuals for commercial purposes, an offense punishable by 20 to 30 years in prison under Dominican law.

According to the report of Sigfrido Pared, Director of the Agency Dominican Migration, the suspected traffickers, sent out each morning the children and adults to busy intersections of the capital, Santo Domingo, so they beg or they clean the windshield. Babies (under 2 years) were rented to people 300 pesos ($8) per day for begging. Officials stressed that in most cases, children victims have been "donated" by their parents to traffickers in exchange of money.

The children, 37 boys and 7 girls will remain under the guard of the Government National Council for Children (CONANI) until a decision is taken about their future. "The idea is to find a humanitarian solution in coordination with the authorities" said Winter, Representative of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), working in collaboration with the National Council for Children to find alternatives for the childrens. Sigfrido Pared said that the National Council for Children and IOM will undertake a investigate on each case to try to reunite children with their families in Haiti.

The CONANI has indicated, that, in cooperation with the Directorate of migration, eight shelters were equipped for Haitian children who arrived after the earthquake of January 2010 and that roam in the streets. At least one hundred children have been admitted in these centers in the six months following the disaster.

A month ago, Luis Debac, bureau chief of the fight against human trafficking of the State Department, had warned that he could recommend sanctions against the Dominican Republic for its lack of results in the fight against this scourge.

See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/article-974-haiti-social-quand-l-enfant-devient-une-marchandise.html (in french)

https://www.haitilibre.com/article-274-haiti-social-lutte-contre-la-traite-des-enfants.html (in french)

https://www.haitilibre.com/article-417-haiti-republique-dominicaine-reseau-de-mendicite-d-enfants-haitien-confirme.html (in french)

https://www.haitilibre.com/article-197-haiti-social-des-orphelins-vendus-comme-esclaves-sexuels.html (in french)

HL/ HaitiLibre