Overview of Human Rights in Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is a representative constitutional democracy.  The government’s human rights record is poor according to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. There are many areas in which serious abuses have been reported in recent years.

The law enforcement authorities in the Dominican Republic are known to perpetrate many human rights violations. Arbitrary arrest, torture, beating and then lengthy pretrial detention of suspects are common practices. There have been several reported unlawful killings of demonstrators, suspects and prisoners while under either arrest or police custody. Law enforcement also aids the government in stifling the restrictions on the freedoms of assembly and association.

Societal human rights abuses are also rampant in this country. Child labor, child abuse and child prostitution are worsening problems. Meanwhile, journalists practice self-censorship due to the threat of violence, should they express views contrary to the accepted governmental position.

Among its population of approximately 10 million people are some 650,000 undocumented residents, mostly Haitians.
There is also severe discrimination against these Haitian migrants and their descendants in the workforce, housing market and in many social settings. 

While the government is making some advances to improve the respect for human rights, they are slow in being implemented in society as a whole.

Human Development Index (HDI) Rank:

94th out of 177

Note: Human Development Index (HDI) is a composite index that measures the level of well-being of nations in the world. It uses factors such as poverty, literacy, life-expectancy, education, gross domestic product, and purchasing power parity to assess the average achievements in each nation. It has been used in the United Nation’s Human Development Report since 1993.