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Dominican Republic Deposited Instrument of Accession to the Inter-American Convention on Child Trafficking

The Permanent Representative of the Dominican Republic, Roberto Saladin, today presented to the Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, the instrument of accession of his country to the Inter-American Convention on International Traffic in Minors, which reiterates the country’s commitment in the fight against this scourge.

Secretary General Insulza welcomed the Dominican government’s ratification of this instrument and recalled that as of today 15 countries have done the same: "This is a very important issue in our region and its importance has increased over time," he said. "Unfortunately, the smuggling of people has been historically with us, but in recent years it has increased as it is now more involved with organized crime and gets increased funding from those other criminal activities," Insulza said.

"The specific issues addressed by this Convention, child trafficking and international collaboration, are substantive to achieve our goals," said the head of the hemispheric organization, who also expressed his hope that "the participation of the Dominican Republic and its experience on the subject will be useful to other countries in strengthening their own systems."

Ambassador Saladin affirmed that the Dominican authorities and government have taken actions and policies "to prevent and punish human trafficking, with special attention to minors," and recalled that both the protection of minors and the fight against trafficking in persons "are phenomena that remain a challenge for our governments, particularly affecting women, children and adolescents.” Therefore, he called to further strengthen international cooperation in this area.

Among the advances made in the Dominican Republic in combating trafficking, the diplomat stressed the adoption of a National Plan of Action against Trafficking and Smuggling of Migrants, and the implementation of laws concerning the protection of the rights of minors. "In the implementation of state policies and actions, the best interests of children will always prevail, seeking to contribute to their overall development and ensure the full and effective enjoyment of their fundamental rights," he concluded.

Adopted on March 18, 1994, in Mexico City, the Convention aims to ensure comprehensive and effective protection of children through the implementation of appropriate mechanisms to ensure respect for their rights through the regulation of civilian criminal and international child trafficking.

Current information on the status of signatures and ratifications of multilateral treaties and the full texts of these instruments is available on the website of the OAS Department of International Law .

A gallery of photos of the event is available here.

For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.

Reference: E-956/11