US embassy cable - 04SANTODOMINGO6198

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SANTO DOMINGO 006198 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA/CAR, WHA/PPC, G/TIP; 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM, KCRM, KWMN, DR 
SUBJECT: DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: INTERIM TIP ASSESSMENT 
 
REF: STATE 228298 
 
1. The following interim trafficking in persons (TIP) 
assessment (paras 2-7) addresses the questions in paragraph 
6L of reftel. 
 
2. The Government of the Dominican Republic has made progress 
in addressing TIP, particularly in the development of a 
comprehensive anti-TIP strategy and in increased 
investigation of TIP-related offenses.  Progress has 
accelerated since the change of administrations on August 16. 
 The Fernandez administration has appointed several highly 
regarded senior officials who offer promise in the fight 
against TIP and TIP-related corruption, including Attorney 
General Francisco Dominguez Brito and National Police Chief 
Manuel de Jesus Perez Sanchez, the former head of the police 
human rights office. 
 
3. The Dominican government has continued to improve its 
capacity to investigate and prosecute TIP.  The national 
anti-TIP strategy is now coordinated by the Attorney General, 
who has designated Assistant Attorney General Frank Soto to 
handle the day-to-day issues.  Director General of Migration 
Carlos Amarante Baret has established a designated anti-TIP 
unit that has begun to coordinate with similar units in the 
Attorney General,s Office and in the National Police.  In 
October, the Attorney General,s Office formed a special 
cyber-crimes unit to counter child pornography.  A new Minors 
Code was implemented in October, increasing penalties for the 
sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of minors to as much as 
30 years. 
 
4. Dominican authorities have conducted several raids and 
interventions under the new anti-trafficking law passed in 
2003.  For example, police in Santiago and Montecristi closed 
down bars that were fronts for prostitution rings in October, 
rescuing four children.  A child prostitution organization in 
Boca Chica was closed down in June.  More than 20 children 
were rescued and four people detained.  In addition, the 
Dominican Navy detained about 1800 illegal migrants in the 
waters between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico in the 
last six months, many of whom were potentially victims of 
trafficking.  Authorities have more vigorously investigated 
these migrant smuggling cases, in one case successfully using 
evidence collected by the U.S. Coast Guard and the Dominican 
Navy to support arguments for the pre-trial detention of 
smuggling organizers. 
 
5. High profile cases are still pending in the courts, 
including the Boca Chica child prostitution case and the 
cases of Congressman Radhames Ramos Garcia and accused alien 
smuggler Maria Martinez Nunez.  The Boca Chica child 
prostitution case went before an investigating magistrate in 
October, who found that the prosecution has sufficient 
evidence to bring the case before a trial judge.  The 
defendants are appealing this decision.  The latest hearing 
in the Ramos Garcia case took place on November 10 before the 
Supreme Court.  The four defendants and subpoenaed witness 
were present, but the defense raised several procedural 
objections that the court will consider before hearing 
additional testimony.  Martinez Nunez is currently in prison 
awaiting trial, where she has been since August 2003. 
 
6. Senior Dominican officials have spoken out publicly 
against TIP.  President Fernandez has declared several times 
at public events the intention of his administration to 
proceed against traffickers.  At the inauguration of an 
international conference on TIP hosted by the International 
Organization for Migration (IOM) in late October, Attorney 
General Dominguez Brito called for stiffest possible 
penalties for traffickers and emphasized his commitment to 
fighting TIP.  His comments were widely reported in the 
press.  Officials held a town-hall style meeting on TIP in 
Boca Chica, a resort town known as a hotspot for sexual 
tourism.  The meeting brought together participants from the 
Attorney General,s Office, Foreign Ministry, National 
Police, Tourist Police, and other organizations with about 40 
community leaders to discuss the dangers of TIP and encourage 
community involvement in identifying and reporting suspected 
traffickers and victims.  A similar program is planned for 
the beach resort of Sosua. 
 
7. The Dominican government continues to support training on 
TIP issues for officials.  The week-long IOM conference was 
attended by representatives from the Attorney General,s 
Office, Migration Directorate, Foreign Ministry, Ministry of 
Women, National Police and Armed Forces, and other 
secretariats and agencies with TIP-related responsibilities. 
 
SIPDIS 
The administration has established anti-TIP training as a 
permanent part of the required curriculum at the Diplomatic 
and Consular School, and the Foreign Ministry has now offered 
the course eight times.  In October five judges and six 
prosecutors attended a series of capacity-building seminars 
on TIP held by local non-governmental organization Fundacion 
Institucionalidad y Justicia (FINJUS). 
HERTELL