| Volunteer Voice |
Inner LightVolunteer Service in the DR
In Santa Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic is a monastery ruin. It was built by the monks of St. Francis who came with Christopher Columbus to the New World. Columbus was a lay Franciscan himself. His cheif astronomer was Father Juan Perez, a Franciscan who plead Columbus' case before King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. After two failed attempts to build a colony on the island of Hispaniola, the men of Columbus build a colony on the south side of the island. It was known as Santa Dominigo. One of the very first buildings to be erected in Santa Domingo was the monastery of Saint Francis in 1508. Within a generation there were 120 monks living in the monastery and working in schools, a hospital and an orphanage they also built to serve the poor.
The monastery has had a glorious history. It was burnt to the ground by Sir Francis Drake in 1586. It was rebuilt and became the headquarters for the Franciscan Mission in the Americas including New Mexico. Its last use was as an insane asylum in 1885.
The famous Taino indian rebel Enriquillo was raised and baptized in the monastery and tutored later by the Dominican Father Bartolo de las Cases, the first human rights worker in the Caribbean who defended the rights of native Americans.
Where does this drive to serve others come from? Some say an inner light. I saw this light the other morning when I did a walking meditation around the monastery. As the sun rose in the morning sky, golden light filled the inner space of the roofless monastery. On the shadow side of the monastery I took this photograph. It represents for me an inner light.
12:00 PM - Nov. 19, 2009Hand Made LoveVolunteer Service in the DR
Foundation is well underway for the Maria School project. Columns of rebar are up and the foundation poured. This next week we should see the flooring in place. Thanks to volunteers from Grand Valley Community church and the many volunteers who have worked so hard and raised so much. 8:44 AM - Nov. 9, 200917 Volunteers Combine Talent and ServiceVolunteer Service in the DR
About 110 children were fed by teams of volunteers from Calgary, Edmonton, and Brandon Canada who volunteered for the week with Dominican Outreach. In the morning volunteers worked at the schoolsite and in the afternoon visited and assisted at other project sites. This included a visit to the jail where water was handed out to 29 prisoners, the hospital where 63 dignity packes were given to poor women and children, a medical clinic where medical supplies were explained by a nurse from Brandon (Grace) to assist a Bill Clinton funded clinic. Other medical supplies were given to the Blind Association of Puerto Plata that also operates a medical clinic. The teams visited Mustard Seed Orphanage although interaction was limited this week by the death of one of the orphans due to medical complications. Father Dale conducted memorial prayers over the coffin and at a memorial in the orphanage. The teams visited various microloan sites and bought items to help support these emerging women owned businesses. The group met women who have been victimized by human trafficking. Monroe Doerksen of Brandon mentioned how deeply stunned he was to have met a former slave in the 21st century. Baseball equipment and clothing were distributed to needy children through various Dominican agencies. For fun the volunteers took one day to play baseball and visit the stadium built by Cy Young Award winner Bartolo Colon and later in the day slide down the famous falls in Imbert. The week ended with a Sunday service celebrating an eye opening week in song and prayer. A father and daughter, Kelly and Kelsy (14) worked together this week. It was powerful and tender to see parent and child working together to serve others. Kelly said he saw the power of community and the richness of family in the eyes of the poor this week. 8:25 AM - Nov. 9, 2009Halloween PartyVolunteer Service in the DR
A halloween party was held for girls who hope to find refuge in the Blaco's Kids project. Stephan Haley and Joy from Boston took photos for a project they are developing to assist the education of these and other children. Joy is in the background. She donate gifts and tierras for the girls so they could be princesses for a day. 8:18 AM - Nov. 9, 2009Church volunteers hands and heartsVolunteer Service in the DR
Volunteers from Brandon Manitoba arrive the first week of November to assist in the development of a school for neglected, orphaned, and abandoned children. Above in Anko painting a room on the project site. He is part of a group of 9 volunteers from Grand Valley Community Church. Although not a member of the church, he wanted to be part of this exciting project with people from his hometown. 8:14 AM - Nov. 9, 2009Dominican Social worker visits siteVolunteer Service in the DR
The need for shelter for vulnerable women and children is acute in the Dominican Republic. When social worker and psychologist Antonia heard of the Dominican Outreach project to build a school on a site which also will be a place of refuge she was quick to visit the site with Martha. You can see in the background the beginning of construction. 8:09 AM - Nov. 9, 2009Human Trafficking Survey IV Puerto PlataVolunteer Service in the DR
PATH Survey IV
Surveys 1 and 2 were done in Puerta Plata on Thursday, October 22, 2009.
SURVEY ONE- On the street One street kid, 17 and Haitian, sells candy and shoes. On a good day, he can make up to 200 pesos. Prior to coming to the Dominican Republic, he went to school in Haiti. However, he does not attend school currently. His birth papers are in Haiti but he does not have an ID card. When inquired if he knew of any street kids with a jefe, he replied affirmatively. He said that if the street kids do not make money, their jefe might be mad but that they would not suffer abuse. All of his family is in Haiti, and he paid someone to come over to the Dominican Republic, and came alone. He has no jefe. When asked if he knew of any domestic workers, he replied affirmatively. The ones that he knows of are adult Dominicans and Haitians, but that it was difficult to get to know them personally because they are always working in the house. The domestic workers can enter and leave their place of employment whenever they wish. He further stated that he knows of some Haitians that were brought over to work in the house; and some have passports while others do not.
SURVEY TWO- POLITUR, Policia Turistica An employee of POLITUR, female and between the ages of 25-35 was questioned about the incidences of human trafficking on the Northern Coast of the Dominican Republic. When asked about the nationalities of the female sex workers that work in Sosuá and Cabarete, she replied, “Dominican, Haitian, Spanish and Dutch.” She later mentioned that the jefes of the women control them. When recruiting women to work for them, they often use that woman’s friends and family as recruitment tools. The lady further stated that some of the female sex workers are in that occupation voluntarily while others were trafficked. When questioned about the incidences of Haitian victims of human trafficking, she mentioned that their jobs range from selling drinks, construction, domestic servitude and other labor. She also stated that arms trafficking is a problem that POLITUR is aware of.
Surveys 3-5 were done in Puerta Plata on Saturday, October 24, 2009.
SURVEY THREE- Dave’s Bar Three males, one American, one Dominican and one Haitian were interviewed in Dave’s Bar on this day.
Prior to this interview, Father Dale Johnson of Dominican Outreach, regaled a story about how some families in the area take out loans from loan sharks and send their female relative to work off that loan. Among the various people that have been reported to participate in this activity are bar workers, sport betting parlors and lawyers. Father Dale mentioned that while prostitution is not illegal in the Dominican Republic, contract buying and using people as collateral is.
The American was a Caucasian male between the ages of ages 60 to 70. He was a former owner of a resturant called the 3 Amigos Resturant, in which girls were used as sex workers to pay off loans. In his ownership of the resturant for over a year, he knew of various women, roughly ages 16 to 25, from all over the Dominican Republic (Santiago, San Francisco de Macoris) that came to his resturant to pay off loans. Some of the girls would accept the job without reading the contract. When asked about the women who worked as sex workers, he mentioned that the pimps, also known as "Chulo", would stop by the girls on the street and tell them they that could make more profit under his supervision. Also, he mentioned some Haitian prostitues that work in a disco behind a sandwich shop. The money that the girls earn from working would be taken out of their paycheck, and would also be used in paying off the 30-50% loan interest rate. He also told of several incidents of revenge against the loan sharks that resulted in the death of four males- three bar owners and one money lender. Some were killed by driveby shootings, and he told of the fact that some people prefer to pay an illegal Haitian immigrant to work as an assassin for as little as fifty American dollars. He explained it this way- some people hire a Haitian to make it look like a robbery so the police do not investigate, and also because they are rumored to be cheaper than Dominicans.
The Dominican male, age 52, is a street worker. He has spent 45 years working on the streets as a shoe cleaner. He was born in Santiago, and now lives in Puerta Plata. He went to school for three years. When asked about how he got to his current job, he said by a "guagua" (large bus). He has his ID card in his house. Due to his proximity to the street kids, he was asked some questions about them. He said it was important for the kids to give their money to their jefes. He also told of POLITUR abusing the street kids as well as himself. He also knows of some Dominicans as domestic workers, and of more trafficked Haitians than Dominicans. When asked if his two daughters work, he said no. His dream is to have another job.
The Haitian, 18 and living in Puerta Plata, is also a shoe shiner. He said that he came here with his family and has been doing this job for six years, since age twelve. He did not work in Haiti. He said that he went to school for one year. He knows of other kids with a jefe, including his brother but he works for himself. He has his ID in Haiti, yet does not have birth papers. On a good day, he can make up to 50 pesos, and mentioned that there is no money in shoe cleaning. On the days in which he has no money, he does not eat. Also, most of his money goes towards the rented house (1,800 pesos) that he lives in with his cousin. His father is dead but mom lives in Puerta Plata. However, she does not work. When asked if she could leave his job if he wanted, he replied, "No, because there is no other job."
SURVEY 4- Yellow Beard Pub A Dominican female, aged 19, lives with her cousin boss at this family-owned-and-run bar. During part of the interview, her cousin would make continuous eye contact with her. She lives in the pub in Puerta Plata but hails originally from Santo Domingo where the majority of her family lives. Her papers are also in Santo Domingo. She went to school for three years. When asked how she arrived at this job, she said that her cousin called her and asked her to work. In this establishment, she also has five other cousins that work alongside her. Some nights she does not make money, and some nights she makes upwards of $1,000 Dominican pesos. When asked if her cousin boss is mad is no money is made, she replied, "No." She does not have her ID card and when asked, said she could leave this job if she wanted. When asked if her family had went to someone to take out a loan, she replied affirmatively.
SURVEY 5- Victoria's Bar The owner of Victoria's Bar, 49 and Dominican, was interviewed for this survey. She was born in the countryside near Puerta Plata but now lives inside the city. She went to school for three years in the country. The establishment is a place rentable to prostitues to do their job. It costs each sex worker 200 pesos per night to rent a room, and they can make up to one-two thousand pesos in a night. When asked where the women are from, she said Playa Oeste and Puerta Plata. There are not regular workers in this establishment because most of the women just come in to rent a room and then they leave. When asked if the women have ID cards, she said no.
Surveys 6 and 7 were done in Puerta Plata on Saturday, October 31, 2009.
SURVEY 6- Mercado Nuevo Three Dominican boys, two of them 12 and the other 10, were interviewed in the Market grounds. During the interview with the two twelve-year-olds, there were a couple of people eavesdropping. All three boys were born in Puerta Plata and live with their family. All three boys go to school, with the twelve year-olds having gone for 8 and 7 years; and the 10 year-old, 4 years. (When the question was asked of the twelve year old of the name of the school that they attended, one of the men in the market scrunched in closer to hear). The two twelve year olds work in the market cutting and selling fruit, while the 10 year-old does not have a job. The 10 year-old's two siblings do not have a job. The two 12 year-olds know some other kids that work in the market and have a boss. When asked how much they make on a good day, the boys responded, "one thousand pesos". The ten year old's mom and grandma has a job; and he does not know of any street kids nor of other people that work as domestic servants.
SURVEY 7- Outside of Caribe Tours, bus service A Dominican boy, aged 10 and knowledgeable of Creole, was born in Puerta Plata. He lives here with his mother who came to Puerta Plata on a bus; and has his birth papers at his house. He knows of other street kids that have a boss, and has one himself. He went to, or has been going to school for one year. His mom has a job, and when he is done with the day's work, he gives the money to his mom. His boss is the one that gave him the box to work, has never seen/experienced abuse from his boss; and stated that there are two kids for each boss. He also said that nothing will happen to the boys if they don't have money from their day of working. He has been doing this job for two years and on a good day, he can make upwards of 500 pesos. When asked what he would like to do, he stated that he wanted another job. 10:34 AM - Nov. 7, 2009Lenders take women for security in DRVolunteer Service in the DR
Human trafficking interviewers for Para Ahora Trafico Humano in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic are reporting that women and children are being used as collaterol for money lenders. Poor families in the campo are reporting that money is loaned to them at high rates of interest, as much as 50%, and as security women of sexual maturity are given to the lender in exchange until the loan and interest is paid. Bar owners, sports betting agency owners, and even lawyers are implicated in this common practice. A bar owner will loan money and have a girl, usually a teenager will come and work in the bar until the loan is paid off. Sports bettering parlors will loan money and have a girl come hang around the parlor and work for sexual favors for those who win big bets. Even an attorney was reported to have loaned money to a person in exchange for a teenage girl. These practices are dispicable to say the least but it is not considered immoral or even illegal. At some level it is illegal but police have no capacity to investigate these crimes they report. Access to credit by the poor are at the heart of this problem. Because they cannot go to banks they resort to predatory lenders. A solutions to this is microfinance such as Esperanza International. But even this is restrictive to the poor as money is loaned only to those who are willing to operate a business. 11:24 AM - Oct. 24, 2009Human Trafficking at Highest Political Level in DRVolunteer Service in the DR
In addition to the charges of sexual misconduct with underage girls and irresponsible paternity issues, Deputy Julio Romero is also being accused of illegal human trafficking. Former Migration Director Taina Gautreau said that Romero, the PRD deputy for Santo Domingo, "ran a major 'consulate' from his home." Gautreau said that Romero was the largest organizer of illegal trips in Santo Domingo East. She said that, "he even went as far as to trick young women, offering them the trips of their dreams." Gautreau, who was the head of Migration in 1996, also said that on that occasion the legislator threatened to kill her with an Uzi machine gun that he was carrying at that time. She said, "He warned me that if anything happened to him, I would be responsible". 11:14 AM - Oct. 24, 2009Trafficking isn't just about ProstitutionVolunteer Service in the DR Caroline Hames recently wrote this powerful analysis of human trafficking. It applies to the Dominican Republic. Until there is change in migration laws, trafficking will only get worse. As you read the following article think about how this applies to the Dominican Republic and the economic refugees of Haiti. By making the border along the Dominican frontier a zone of corruption without consistent policies and equal treament, irregulat Hatian migrants are forced to turn to brokers who traffick them and others into the various sectors of the Dominican economy. There is no incentive to fix immigration law. Too much money is being made by Dominicans who are also the very ones who complain and blame everything that is wrong in the DR on these Haitians. For those who work to protect the rights of trafficked persons, the failure of the government's recent inquiry into trafficking to identify significant numbers of trafficked persons comes as no great surprise. According to the Guardian, Operation Pentameter Two, the government's latest anti-trafficking purge, was more a crackdown on prostitution than human trafficking; most of those detained were found not to have been trafficked. Nearly 10 years after an internationally recognised definition of trafficking was adopted at the United Nations, little progress has been made towards addressing the root causes of trafficking worldwide. Instead, like the "war on terror", trafficking has become a conveniently unquantifiable phenomenon that allows governments to violate human rights, most often of non-citizens, in the name of "protecting" them. By linking trafficking with a particular industry, in this case prostitution, rather than looking at more complex factors which are causing people to be trafficked into the UK, the government is failing to address severe exploitation within its borders. One month ago the French authorities destroyed the "jungle", a migrant camp in Calais that was home to hundreds of migrants hoping to reach British shores. While many politicians and media reports lauded the successful destruction of the camp, success was measured by the numbers of homes destroyed and migrants disbanded. Furthermore the home secretary, Alan Johnson, said the camp's destruction would not only serve to "prevent illegal immigration, but also to stop people-trafficking". Today, many of those who were made homeless by the destruction of the "jungle" have been forced to rebuild their fragile homes in order to survive. As we watch people being deprived of their human rights, living in conditions of squalor, politicians unrepentantly continue to describe the demolition as a success. By describing this as a way to "stop people-trafficking", Alan Johnson is painting the destruction of shelter and arbitrary detentions as a humanitarian act to save people from traffickers. This twisted logic seems even more tragic when taking into account the fact that many of the Calais migrants are seeking refuge from conflicts, such as in Iraq, Afghanistan, Eritrea and Somalia, which we are participating in or have instigated. It is difficult to see how these people are better protected from trafficking now that the camp has been dismantled and their living conditions are even more precarious. The link between the treatment of migrants in Calais and the failure of the UK government's anti-trafficking purge, Operation Pentameter Two, may not be self-evident. However, the Global Alliance against Traffic in Women – a network of over 90 anti-trafficking organisations worldwide – has seen such patterns of hypocrisy repeated around the world. On the one hand the government's large-scale anti-trafficking response has been demonstrably unsuccessful in identifying traffickers; and on the other hand, there are reportedly many traffickers operating with impunity in Calais. The secret of Operation Pentameter Two's failure is in its single-minded focus on one industry – prostitution – rather than addressing exploitation in many labour sectors in the UK. As tragic incidences of migrants being exploited in agriculture, domestic service or food production have shown, trafficking and severe labour exploitation is not limited by sector, gender or migration status. Poor labour conditions need to be improved for trafficking to be lessened in any meaningful way. Until governments create safe work and migration opportunities, people will continue to rely on brokers and agents to acquire informal and unprotected jobs. If the government is really committed to ending trafficking, instead of focusing on detaining prostitutes or rendering migrants homeless, it must address the inconsistencies in immigration policies that seek to exclude irregular migrants and anti-trafficking policies supposedly designed to prevent human rights violations. 12:48 PM - Oct. 21, 2009More Census Reports on Human TraffickingVolunteer Service in the DR
Surveys 1-4 were done on Saturday, October 10th, 2009. Survey 5 was done on Thursday, October 15th, 2009.
SURVEY ONE Streets of Puerta Plata Six street workers were interviewed on the streets of Puerta Plata, next to the beach. Three were children and three were adults.
The first two boys to be interviewed, both 14, Haitian and brothers, were interviewed at Dave´s Bar and Grill. The two brothers, who live in Padre Grenero, are both orphans who were brought over the Haiti-Dominican Republic border by around eight people. They live alone but there are other people in the house. The boys have a jefe that checks on them weekly. The boys earn about fifty pesos a day, in which they pay their older brother. Their older brother, in turn, pays the wages of the brothers to the jefe. Failure to pay the wages results in not being fed. Both boys know of other boys in the same situation, and also have had their family and other boys threatened, beaten. Both boys have their birth papers but do not go to school. When asked what they would like to do, both stated that attending school was what they desired. When asked if they could leave the job if they wished, both replied affirmatively. The boys do not know of any domestic workers.
(When it was apparent that the interview was being overheard by two Dominican women, the interview location was moved down the street to an open-air resturant next to the beach)
At the new location, another boy was interviewed. The Haitian, aged 12, lives in Agua Negra with his aunt. He shines shoes and has a boss. When asked if he could change jobs, he replied affirmatively. He does not go to school, nor has he ever. He does not have an ID card, came here on a ´big´ bus, and reported that his boss has not threatened him.
One man, Haiti-born and 34, is a street worker who currently lives in Puerta Plata. He sells paintings that he buys from other people. In Haiti, he went to school until age 21 when he graduated from University.. He does not have a boss, and came to the DR voluntarily with a business partner. He has his ID card. Some days he makes money, while other days are not profitable. Because of his proximity to and frequent encounters with the street children, he is a trusted source of information for PATH. When inquired about domestic slaves, he mentioned that he did not know of any.. He does, however, know of an estimated fifty children that work the streets of Puerta Plata. He mentioned that he knows that some people will buy the children and bring them to Puerta Plata to work. At this interval in the interview, Father Dale Johnson recounts a story that this same man had told him regarding an abduction of a young Haitian girl. The twelve year-old was abducted from the street, had her hands bound by rope and her mouth duct taped. The police were soon notified, but yelled at the girl rather than putting their attention on the kidnappers.
Another Dominican man, aged 55, sells mahogany boxes to tourists. He does not have a boss, went to school in the past and now sells mahogany boxes. He stated that each day varies- some days are more profitable than others, earning upwards of $1,000 RD pesos. He also watches out for the street kids. When asked if the boys are ever beaten by their jefes, he replied affirmatively and indicated towards his body. One time he had tried to help the boys out and got beat as well. The jefes are usually mad because the kids have not earned their goal money for the day. He stated that POLITUR, the Dominican police for tourists, have been known to arrest the street kid workers.
The last of the men to be questioned at this location was a 48-year-old Dominican man, physically-disabled and gets around on crutches.. He makes his living by begging on the streets for about three to four hours a day. He knows of three kids in particular that are domestic workers, children ranging from ages 5 to 12. They clean clothes and plates, as well as cook dinner. They work during the day, go to school at night and live with their parents. The wages they earn from working at the houses goes to their parents.
SURVEY TWO Jewelry store one block down from the beach-side resturant The owner of a business store, estimated age to be 38, was a former street kid. In telling about his life, he mentioned that his family had made him attend school at nighttime after working the streets during the day. He has quite a few engineers in his large family. As far as his jewelry business is concerned, he serves a dual purpose- to keep the kids off of his doorstep where they could hinder business, but also to teach them about jewelry. In talking about POLITUR, he continued from what the previous man had said about child street kids being arrested. He further clarified saying that POLITUR´s job is to protect the tourists from robberies and rip-offs in which the street kids are sometimes accused of.
SURVEY THREE Cofrantine, in front of the club Tipico Puerta Plata In this survey, two separate groups were questioned. The first group was a group of local streetworkers and the second, a couple of adults.
Of the four street kids that were interviewed, three were Dominican and one was Haitian. Their ages were 12, 13, 14 and 16. Two were brothers, and all four live in Javillar. All are shoe shiners earning 10 pesos per shoe. During this interview, there were four men watching the questioning. None of the boys have a boss. One goes to school at La Cortatella, two do not, and one previously did. When asked, two of the boys said they could leave their job if the wanted. The other two were not asked this question. Three of the four boys have been working for a year, the fourth was not asked this question. The sixteen-year-old gives his money to his mom.. On a good day, he makes upwards of 200 pesos a day. None of the boys know of any domestic workers. All stated that none suffer abuse if they do not make wages from the day´s work. Also, they stated that they only know of each other that work the streets in shining shoes. Of the two that were asked, only the sixteen-year-old has his birth papers, while the twelve-year old does not. The fourteen year-old was asked if he had his ID card in which he replied negatively. Neither he nor the thirteen year-old were asked about their birth papers. Of the two boys that have been in school, both have been in school for at least four years, with the fourteen year-old in school for half a year longer.
The second survey done in this same location involved a Dominican male, 30 years old; and a Dominican female, 40 and a worker in the snack area across from Tipico Puerta Plata. The two were interviewed about Tipico Puerta Plata and of what occurs there at nighttime. The man said that this place has been there for about four years, and is open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. The hours of operation are 6am to 2am. The man also stated that the owner of Tipico Puerta Plata is a male, aged 50. He also mentioned three women who are regular workers there, and have a boss that they pay. He mentioned that the jefe gets 10,000 pesos for the women but whether it was the jefe of the three women, or the owner is uncertain; as well as the fact that whether is was the wages of the three women or all the women working there. He also informed that the women do not life with their jefe, but rather, inside their own houses. He also stated that the no girls are sold there. If the women do not make their wages for the night, they suffer abuse such as being punched in the face. The women are ages ranging from twenty to thirty. When asked about another business similar to Tipico Puerta Plata, the man wrote down on the interview sheet, a place called Cubacana.
The woman affirmed the same things that the man has said, occasionally inserting information aobut the place when the man did not know and had questioned her. When interviewed, she had this to add: thirteen women work at this place, but ten are voluntary workers. The other three women have a boss. When inquired, the woman informed that if the men want sex with the women, then they go to another location to do so.
FOURTH SURVEY Super Cabana Hollywood When walking into Super Cabana Hollywood, this interviewer saw two adult females on the left side of the building next to a bowl of free condoms. A male around the ages of 25-35 was briefly questioned about the cabanas. He stated that both poor and rich men come here. They pay prices ranging from $320 to $400 Dominican pesos, depending on the styles of the room. Each room is available in four hour slots. At the time the interview was done, three cabanas out of twenty five were counted to have cars in the garages. When asked, the men said that the women that come here are either prostitutes, a girlfriend or the wife of the men.
Father Dale Johnson also inserted a tidbit of information about the cabanas: He mentioned that the former president of the Dominican Republic, from the White Partido had created forty cabanas with money given from the Chinese government.
FIFTH SURVEY A side street from Calle Avenida Sadhala Santiago, Dominican Republic Three street kids were interviewed. There was one Haitian and two Dominicans. The Haitian does not have a boss and lives in Santiago with his mother, with whom he crosses the Haitian- Dominican border with at age 11. He does not have a ID card but has birth papers back in Haiti. He occasionally goes to school, and can make 300 pesos on a good day. He workes all day, and later, gives his money to his mother. He does not know any domestic workers nor of any trafficked victims. He would like to be a car mechanic.
The two Dominican boys, ages 11 and 13 are also shoe shiners. The two have a lot in common- they both live in Santiago, do not know any street kids with jefes, go to school, can leave their job if they want, have birth papers and do not know of any domestic workers. Both, like the previous boy to be interviewed, give their money to their mother. They occasionally make sometimes 50 up to 200 pesos on a good day. When asked what they would like to do when they are older, the thirteen year-old said that he wants to be a boxer, and the eleven year-old wants to be a gardener. 5:49 PM - Oct. 16, 2009Maria's School to assist Blanco's KidsVolunteer Service in the DR
“Blanco” is Antonio Mojica Cordero, of mixed Haitian/Dominican ancestry, who lives in Cafemba DR while his family lives in Haiti . For the past 15 years he has worked as a stable hand and trained himself, through correspondence, to be a qualified Vet Tech – not bad when he is nearly illiterate. His skill with treating animals raised his profile with a wide range of people from different countries, who live here. His monthly income is less than $150.00 (Can), yet he finds ways to care for not only dogs, cats, and horses, but people as well. He has about 30 children now who are being looked after one way or another. Some of these were found abandoned and others rejected or orphaned by parents. While Blanco doesn’t have much the children he helps have nothing and no way to get it. Haitians are extremely disadvantaged under the Dominican Constitution and through cultural bias. There is absolutely no social safety net in the Dominican Republic .
Blanco’s selfless efforts caught the attention of a wide range of people who, in the past, have given him assistance on an individual basis, such as recently helping 25 men to get hernia operations they couldn’t afford and they couldn’t work because of the condition, or finding homes for abandoned children.
Recently people who have worked with Blanco decided they would be more effective if they consolidated their efforts through a Charity under Dominican law. This requires at least 21 people to be “Founding Members”. We have that number now and the Charity will be called “Blanco’s Kids Inc.” We are working together with Father Dale to raise our ability to help the children who range in age from babies to a 12 year old. Claudia Docker, who grew up in Winnipeg , donated a lot she owns for a building. An account has been established at the Banco Popular. Records are kept so that all money or goods are accounted for. A building is going up with some donated material and a contractor who is not charging his fee. This should house ten babies and two adults including Blanco who is without living quarters at this moment. 1:11 PM - Oct. 15, 2009Sample Census Survey ReportElissa Duncan has reported the following
FIRST SURVEY Santiago, Dominican Republic
October 2, 2009
Two boys, 9 and 15, both Dominican, are residents of Santiago and
are street workers. The older boy does not have an jefe, does not
attend school and has a box of materials used to shine shoes. He makes
ten pesos per shoe and twenty pesos for both shoes. At the end of the
day, he gives his day´s wages to his father. On a good day, he makes
upward of 200 pesos. The younger boy claims that he goes to school yet
is also a street worker. Both boys do not know of any domestic workers and have seen other kids work as shoe cleaners on Avenida Sadhala, where they frequent.
Surveys 2-4 took place in Puerta Plata, Dominican Republic on Saturday, October 3rd of 2009
SECOND SURVEY El Consulado Bar Six sex workers were interviewed, as well as the janitor. All seven women are Dominican. From this point on, the survey will be about the six sex workers. The interview with the janitor will be discussed in a later paragraph. Of the six sex workers, the average age was 25, with the oldest being 26 and the youngest, 16. All of the women had children, with the exception of the sixteen-year-old. Of the women with children, one had just one child, while the others had two up to four children. None of the women interviewd had identification on their persons, stating that it was in another location such as: with their relatives, at their house, or in another city as one woman stated. One woman did not answer the question regarding her identification. Four of the other women were born in other cities: One from San Francisco de Macoris, two from Santo Domingo, and the youngest was from Mao, a town next to Santiago. The other two women were not inquired as to the town of their birth. When asked about being able to enter or leave El Consulado as they wished, the women said yes but after paying 400 Dominican pesos. None of the women are currently in school. Of the ones who were asked if they went to school in the past, all said yes.. The youngest had been out of school for eight years, and one of the twenty-five year-olds left school at age fifteen. When asked how they came to find their current job, all had stated that it was through family, friends or by themselves. All unaniousmously stated that they chose this occupation, when asked. When one woman was asked about whether or not she signed a contract for a year to work at El Consulado, she replied ¨No¨. The same woman who was asked that question mentioned to me that the wages she earns from this job goes towards paying her four children to school in San Francisco de Macoris, as well as work alongside her sister. When asked about their length of employment in this particular location, one woman said two years and the youngest said seven months. The others were not asked this question. When asked if she would like to do something else for a job, the sixteen year-old replied affirmatively.
The janitor, 53, has worked in El Consulado for ten months. She pays the boss two thousand pesos every fifteen days. Whether it was the wages of the sex workers is unclear. She does not pay to leave the building, due to her role as a minisupervisor of the women and the ´middleman´ between the women and the boss. When inquired about what happens to the women when they don´t have the required 400 pesos to leave, she refused to answer. The same question was asked of the youngest sex worker, and when asked if the women stay the night in the facility if they do not have the money, she replied affirmatively.
THIRD SURVEY Outside of El Consulado Due to her proximity to the club and of the nature of her clothing, a 43 year-old Dominican woman was also questioned as a part of this survey. She stated that she did have her identification with her and lives in the building next door to El Consulado. She mentioned that her brother works inside the club, although she herself is not affiliated with the club. When inquired about how long El Consulado has been open, she said fifteen years.
(Observation made after the third survey- Two elderly Caucasian males, around the ages of 50-75, were seen leaving the bar. Also, El Consulado also has a security guard posted in front of the club.)
FOURTH SURVEY Down the street from El Consulado, in front of La Canita A young male, 14 and presumably Haitian, was walking down the street with a fellow child worker. He had in his possession a box of shoe shining material. The other boy was carrying a large bowl of sweets, and was questioned by another PATH volunteer regarding matters of health and HIV/AIDS. When asked if he was Dominican, he replied affirmatively. When inquired if he spoke Creole, he also replied affirmatively. Throughout the conversation, the boy had difficulty understanding Spanish. He mentioned that he had a jefe, a boss, and that he goes to school. The name of the school was unclear. He pays his jefe, who has five other boys under him, 15 pesos per day, and works all week. His parents also work. He has no identification with him and when asked, he said that nothing will happen to the boys if they do not pay their jefe. 10:34 AM - Oct. 13, 2009Shame on the Dominican RepublicVolunteer Service in the DR
This is the most gross violation of human rights instituted by the Dominican government I have seen yet. You would have thought they learned their lesson when they lost the lawsuit in the International Central American Court for denying education to two Haitian sisters. You would have thought that they would know better after being slammed by international human rights organizations for systematically denying education to children born in the Dominican Republic but had skin that was too dark or were of Haitian origin. You would think common decency would prevail and common sense arise victorious because it only makes the social problems worse to deny an entire class of people an education. Well if you cannot follow your own laws and obey moral imperative I gues you just shut down schools that have too many children of the wrong color.
See below:
Frontier schools shut down Bishops call for fair treatment of foreigners 4:52 PM - Oct. 5, 2009School Project UnderwayVolunteer Service in the DR
Marta, co-founder of Dominican Outreach, presents a check to Claudia Docker and Lois of Rutgers University who are provided the space to build the Maria School Project. This will start the first phase of the project to lay down the foundation and floor so volunteer groups arriving in November will be able to participate. The building will be a community center, school, house of refuge, and place of safety. It will be the centerpiece of community development for the area. 12:06 PM - Oct. 2, 2009Census Trials RunsVolunteer Service in the DR Testing census questions with victims of sex trafficking. Some of the first questions desgined for the annual census which focus' this year on Human Trafficking do not work the way they were intended, either because of lack of background information in the person being questioned or the Spanish needs to be adjusted to a more colloquial form. Once the census gets underway in October every question will be asked exactly the same way. This is important to get reliable data. 11:55 AM - Oct. 2, 2009Census DevelopmentVolunteer Service in the DR Debbie Almond from Houston Texas, Flora, and other volunteers perfect census questions based on World Health Organization guidlines and trial questions asked of women in Puerto Plata. Debbie is focusing on questions related to HIV/AIDS inflection rates and sources in the Puerto Plata area. Elissa Duncan is interested in reporting on Human Trafficking and identifying how work and children become trapped in horrifying situations driven by poverty, abuse, and need to help their families. 11:50 AM - Oct. 2, 2009Volunteer is added to Census TeamVolunteer Service in the DR Flora, a Dominican woman whose family is from Navarette has joined our census team to help with the interviewing of women who are victims of human trafficking. She has been a big help in formulating questions that can get at the information needed to do a report expected in December for various human rights organizations. This month we have four students from the United States and Canada working with the Para Ahora Trafico Humano project (Stop Human Trafficking Now project). 11:45 AM - Oct. 2, 2009Texas Volunteer joins TeamVolunteer Service in the DR
Elissa Duncan is from Houston Texas. She is a graduate of Teas A & M University and is interested in Human Rights. She is in the DR until December. She has joined the Dominican Outreach census team and interviews sample populations to determine the depth of Human Trafficking issues including domestic labor of children and sex trafficking. She speaks three languages and is a big help in the field. 10:53 AM - Sep. 23, 2009Fall Season VolunteerVolunteer Service in the DR
During the months of September through December Debbie Almond will be helping to map issues related to HIV/AIDS in the Dominican Republic. She is a volunteer with Dominican Outreach and is interviewing people in the Puerto Plata area to probe the depths of this problem which is the third highest outside of Africa. She believes that AIDS is highly under reported here after here. Debbie is a graduate in inter diciplinary studies at the University of London. 10:49 AM - Sep. 23, 2009
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Description A journal of activities relating to volunteer service in the Dominican Republic mostly related to orphaned, abandoned, and disadvantaged children and the people who work with them. Home User Profile Archives Recent Entries - Inner Light - Hand Made Love - 17 Volunteers Combine Talent and Service - Halloween Party - Church volunteers hands and hearts |
