Dominican Republic Government
Dominican Republic
Travel of children: In an effort to prevent international child abduction, the Dominican Republic requires that minors under 18 years of age traveling alone, or with anyone other than a parent, present written authorization from a parent or legal guardian. (Note: The age for this requirement was raised in July 2004 from 13 to 18.) This authorization must be in Spanish, and it must be notarized at a Dominican consulate in the United States. In addition, Dominican immigration authorities have recently begun restricting the ability of children to depart the country with only a birth certificate, especially when those children are American citizens of Dominican heritage. Because of this policy, the Embassy strongly urges that children who normally reside in the United States obtain a passport in the U.S. before traveli ... [Read More]
Dominican Republic (05/05)
In the next century, French settlers occupied the western end of the island, which Spain ceded to France in 1697, and which, in 1804, became the Republic of Haiti. The Haitians conquered the whole island in 1822 and held it until 1844, when forces led by Juan Pablo Duarte, the hero of Dominican independence, drove them out and established the Dominican Republic as an independent state. In 1861, the Dominicans voluntarily returned to the Spanish Empire; in 1865, independence was restored. Economic difficulties, the threat of European intervention, and ongoing internal disorders led to a U.S. occupation in 1916 and the establishment of a military government in the Dominican Republic. The occupation ended in 1924, with a democratically elected Dominican Government. ... [Read More]
Dominican Republic
The Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the Government generally respects this right in practice. The Government at all levels strives to protect this right in full, and does not tolerate its abuse, either by governmental or private actors. ... The Government generally does not interfere with the practice of religion. Attendance at Catholic Mass for members of the National Police is strongly encouraged, but they are allowed to practice their own beliefs. The Catholic Cardinal in the Dominican Republic is the Army Chaplain for the Armed Forces and the Police and holds the rank of Major General. ... [Read More]
V. Country Narratives -- Countries A through G
Cyprus is a destination country for women trafficked from Eastern and Central Europe for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Traffickers who forced women into prostitution continued to fraudulently recruit victims for work as dancers in cabarets and nightclubs on short-term "artiste" visas, for work in pubs and bars on employment visas, or for illegal work on tourist or student visas. There was increasing evidence of Chinese women being trafficked for sexual exploitation in Cyprus. The Government of Cyprus does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. Cyprus made some progress in its anti-trafficking efforts over the past year. The new police anti-trafficking unit produced successful results and showed vigilance in combating the problem. Government recognition of the problem improve ... [Read More]
Dominican Republic
The Constitution provides for freedom of association, and the Government generally respected this right in practice. c. Freedom of Religion The Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the Government generally respected this right in practice. The Constitution prohibits discrimination on religious grounds, and many religions and denominations were active. The Catholic Church enjoyed special privileges not extended to other religions, under the terms of a concordat signed with the Government in 1954. For example, the Cardinal has the rank of a military officer, and there is a Catholic church at the Presidential Palace. The Catholic Church also received public funding to cover some church expenses such as rehabilitation of church facilities. However, a complete waiver of customs duties on imports is extended to all religious denominations. ... [Read More]
U.S. and Dominican Republic Conclude Trade Agreement - US Department of State
"The Dominican Republic is a large regional market, with strong ties to the U.S., and this agreement opens many opportunities for American exporters, farmers, workers, consumers and businesses, and it will promote economic growth, opportunity and prosperity in the Dominican Republic and the region. With the addition of the Dominican Republic, the CAFTA will further streamline regional trade; promote investment; slash tariffs on goods; remove barriers to trade in services; provide advanced intellectual property protections; promote regulatory transparency; strengthen labor and environmental conditions; and, provide an effective system to settle disputes," Zoellick said. ... [Read More]
Volume XXXII
2005DEPARTMENT OF STATE PUBLICATION 11173Office of the Historian Bureau of Public Affairs For sale by the U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: http://bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: (202) 512-1800 Fax: (202) 512-2250 Superintendent of Documents, Mail Stop: SSOP [Read More]
Threats to Democratic Stability in the Dominican Republic and Guatemala
The numbers of aliens transiting illegally through Haiti and the Dominican Republic appears to be on the rise. Dominican authorities have detained Dominican government officials, including several Dominican consular officials assigned to Haiti, involved in facilitating the illegal entry of third-country nationals. A former Dominican Consul suspected of participating in an alien smuggling operation while in Haiti, and issuing Dominican Republic passports to Haitians and third-country nationals, was arrested several months ago. One month ago, Dominican authorities arrested a Dominican Vice Consul assigned to Haiti for transporting firearms and nearly 90 pounds of illegal drugs from Haiti into the DR. These are important steps in securing the porous border with Haiti as well as a test of whether the Dominican Republic is serious about cracking down on official corruption. ... [Read More]
Dominican Republic
The Government's human rights record was poor, and serious problems remain. Police committed extrajudicial killings. The police, and to a lesser degree the military, tortured, beat, and otherwise abused detainees and prisoners. Police on several occasions used force to disperse demonstrators. There was a significant increase in allegations of physical abuse and torture of minors in police and military detention. Prison conditions ranged from poor to extremely harsh. Police arbitrarily arrested and detained suspects and suspects' relatives. The ability of prosecutors to limit police detentions and practices has eroded, as compared with 1999. While there have been some improvements in the efficiency of the judiciary, lengthy pretrial detention and long delays in trials remained problems. Police committed break-ins of private homes without judicial orders. The authorities rarely prosecute abusers, and at times members of the security forces commit abuses with the tacit acquiescence of the ... [Read More]
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a representative constitutional democracy with an executive branch headed by an elected president, a bicameral legislature, and a separate judiciary. In August, President Leonel Fernandez of the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) retook office after a generally free and fair presidential election, replacing President Hipolito Mejia of the Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD). The PRD continued to control the Senate, with 29 of 32 seats, and held 72 out of 150 seats in the Chamber of Deputies; the remaining seats in the Chamber of Deputies were divided between the PLD (42 seats) and the Social Christian Reform Party (PRSC) (36 seats). The Constitution provides for an independent judiciary; however, internal corruption and interference from outside authorities remained a problem. ... [Read More]
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