Dominican authorities broke up a human trafficking ring on
Wednesday (23 February) and rescued 27 unaccompanied Haitian
children who were being forced to beg on street corners in the
capital, Santo Domingo.

The IOM Mission in the Dominican Republic was called in by the
authorities and is providing food, clothing and other non-food
items for the unaccompanied minors aged between 7 and 14, as well
as technical support to the authorities on protection and care for
minor victims of trafficking.

The Dominican General Directorate of Migration (DGM) raided a
house in Los Alcarizos, a neighborhood outside of Santo Domingo,
after four Haitian street children who were under the care of the
state child care institution (CONANI) told their story to the
authorities.

IOM Chief of Mission, Cy Winter, said, "When the police closed
in on the first structure, they found the children with two
adults. They were in the most squalid conditions with a number
of them curled up around and next to buckets of feces.  This
scene was repeated in adjacent structures."

In total, 74 irregular migrants were found, 44 children,
including ten babies.  All were taken into temporary custody
while the investigators conduct initial interviews and the
authorities find appropriate shelters for the unaccompanied
minors.

Sigfrido Pared Perez, Director of the General Directorate of
Migration (DGM) added, "The migrants were sent out each morning to
stand at busy intersections to beg for money, wash windshields or
carry out other menial tasks.  At the end of the day they were
rounded up, and whatever they made was taken from them.  Ten
suspected ringleaders, also irregular migrants from Haiti, were
arrested on suspicion of human trafficking."

The authorities are also investigating a group of 18 minors,
ranging from six months to seven years old, who were allegedly
accompanied by the adults present in the house to determine if they
are parents or guardians.  IOM is supporting CONANI, who is
leading the Best Interest Determination process for each child,
with interpretation, logistics and psycho-social interventions.

IOM has assigned a social worker and two Creole speaking IOM
Community Liaison Officers to assess the children and provide
psychosocial support.  The Organization will also carry out
family tracing and when possible family reunification, and will
offer voluntary return assistance to the adults wishing to return
to Haiti.

In the past year IOM offices in Haiti and the Dominican Republic
have been conducting family tracing and have assisted more than 20
Haitian minors to return to their country; some returned to their
parents, and others are in a shelter in the city of Cap Haitien
waiting for their families to be located.

Although IOM is unable to certify the exact number, for planning
purposes the organization accepts that there are between 700,000
and one million Haitian migrants in the DR.

For more information, please contact:

Zoe Stopak-Behr

IOM Dominican Republic

Tel: +809.688.8174

E-mail: "mailto:zstopak-behr@iom.int">zstopak-behr@iom.int

.