Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic (DR), located on the eastern side of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, shares its western border with Haiti.

Boasting a tropical climate, crystal-clear seas and sandy beaches, the DR has always been an idyllic tourist spot. Today with its luxurious five-star resorts, world-class casinos and millionaires' mansions, it has become the most popular tourist destination in the Caribbean.

However, the DR has a history of poverty, high unemployment and corruption, which has created a great divide between the rich and the poor. Around 42 per cent of the country's 9.5 million inhabitants still live below the poverty line. Even worse, the country's tourism industry exploits many of its most vulnerable citizens through child labour and child prostitution.

Young people living below the poverty line have very little chance of completing high school and finding regular employment. Most remain trapped in the cycle of poverty. Nearly a third of all young people aged between 15 and 24 are unemployed.

Officially, primary education is free and compulsory for children between the ages of seven and 14, although those who live in isolated areas have limited access to schooling. The school system is one of the least effective in the Caribbean. About eight percent of young people aged 15 to 24 are illiterate; 33 per cent of the population has not completed primary education and 62 per cent of 20 to 29-year-olds have not finished high school. Many young people drop out of school because their families need them to earn money. A lack of education and relevant vocational training is preventing young people throughout the country from reaching their potential.

It is not surprising that young people are attracted to the seemingly easy money to be made from the illegal drug industry in the country, which has become a trans-shipment point for South American drugs bound for Europe as well as the United States and Canada. The ease with which illicit financial transactions can be made has also made the DR a favourable location for money laundering by Colombian drug cartels.

Social pressures and increasing poverty have led to a rise in prostitution. Though prostitution is illegal within the DR and the age of consent is 18, child prostitution is a growing phenomenon especially in impoverished areas. In an environment where young girls are often denied the employment opportunities available to boys, prostitution frequently becomes a source of supplementary income.

In this social and economic environment, the vocational education and training programs provided through the Compassion child development centres are vitally important. Compassion sponsored children throughout the DR are receiving skills training in high-demand trades such as welding, hairdressing, tailoring, and Information Technology. Compassion is making every effort to ensure that each child who graduates from the Child Sponsorship Program is equipped with a vocational skill, which will provide them with future employment opportunities.

Top

Articles

• At His feet
• Father to the fatherless
• The Bateys of the Dominican Republic

Top

+ Articles

Facts:

• Capital city: Santo Domingo
• Language: Spanish
• Respiratory infections, diarrhoea, parasites and other communicable diseases are the major cause of child deaths
• Dengue fever is endemic throughout the country
• Domestic violence against women and children has increased over recent years
• Illegal use of power, and
  a shortage of power stations cause frequent, long blackouts and inflated electricity prices
• The DR has the dubious reputation as a popular destination for sex tourism
• Over 15 per cent of Dominicans are unemployed
• Many children in rural areas still suffer from malnutrition, lack of adequate health care
  and education