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News & Updates

New IOM Counter Trafficking Office in Dominican Republic¹

With the extent of human trafficking in the Dominican Republic taking on new dimensions, IOM and the country's National Counter-Trafficking Network have opened a counter-trafficking coordination office.

The new office will coordinate and support all counter-trafficking and anti-smuggling activities being implemented by eight local networks active in Baní, Cotuí, El Seibo, Higuey, San Cristobal, San Juan de la Maguana and Villa Altagracia.

The National Network is made up local authorities, NGOs, women's associations, rural organisations, community leaders, and educators. Working at a grass roots level, its members are directly involved in prevention, information gathering and dissemination, case referral, and victim assistance activities in their communities.

Since mid 2004, IOM has been working with the local networks gathering data on victims of trafficking brought to the Dominican Republic from South America, Eastern Europe and Asia. Surveys carried out in the areas where the local networks are active confirmed the presence of men and women from China, Haiti and Colombia forced into prostitution and unpaid labour.

IOM has received requests for assistance from male and female victims from Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, China, and Poland working in the sex industry, agriculture, construction, unpaid domestic work, and door-to-door sales. Although the majority of the victims are males, IOM has only been able to provide assistance to some 25% of the cases due to lack of funding for male victims of trafficking.

In the past few months, Dominican men have come forward to IOM to confirm they were deceived with attractive job offers overseas only to end up in forced labor with little or no pay. They managed to escape and return to their country.

The vast majority of Dominican victims are from rural areas such as Dajabón, Elías Piña, Pedernales, Puerto Plata, Santiago, San Cristóbal and the National District, which includes the capital Santo Domingo.

Countries of destination for female victims assisted by IOM include the United States, Canada, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Curacao, San Martin, Panama, Venezuela, Colombia, Argentina, Spain, Holland, Greece, Italy, Switzerland, and Belgium. Female victims are forced into prostitution, domestic servitude or arranged marriages.

In the past year IOM provided assistance to 181 Dominican victims of trafficking. Of this total, 115 returned to their country and 73 of them received reintegration assistance. For female victims of trafficking returning to their country, reintegration assistance includes medical, psychological and legal support, as well as vocational training and micro credit schemes for the creation of small businesses.

IOM provides technical and financial support to the national and local networks through a project supported by the US State Department’s Office of Population, Refugee and Migration.

For more information contact:
Fanny Polanía
IOM Santo Domingo
Tel: +18097327121
E-mail: fpolania@iom.int