The United States Department of State recognized the efforts of the Dominican Republic to increase prevention, protection and persecution actions against Human smuggling and trafficking.
In its twenty-second report on the subject (TIP), in which it places the country in category 2, it highlights that in 2021 the Dominican Republic achieved a conviction for 10 stud dealerwhich represents more than double the number arrested for the same crime in 2020.
It indicates that through the Attorney General’s Office and the specialized anti-trafficking department of the National Police, they prosecuted about 100 peopleincluding for cases of alleged sexual, commercial and labor exploitation.
However, the report highlights as an important pending task an update of the Trafficking Law, to provide better protection to minors.
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It indicates that although the government made progress on a bill in the reported period, it had not been known by Congress. He also criticized that he did not present a new national action plan against scourge in 2021.
It was also noted that the government cooperated with other countries on the identification and prosecution of cases of traffickingand it was recognized that Dominican efforts to regularize Venezuelan immigration to the country contributed to mitigating the risk of human trafficking in a highly vulnerable population.
However, the report highlights that an update of the trafficking law is still pending to provide better protection for minors. Although the Government made progress in the preparation of a new bill, in the period reported this had not been known by the Dominican Congress.
The report also criticized the fact that the country did not present a new national action plan against this evil in 2021.
