Outrage Grows in Haiti’s Northeast over Dominican Republic’s deportation of unaccompanied Haitian children 

FORT-LIBERTÉ — The Dominican Republic’s intensified deportation of Haitian children, often without their parents, has provoked widespread outrage from human rights organizations advocating for child protection in Haiti’s Northeast Department. These forced deportations have severe consequences, leaving children vulnerable to exploitation, violence, and family separation.

“These deportations worry us greatly,” Nerline Mompremier, coordinator of the Association of Women of Ouanaminthe, said.

 “Children aged 0 to 17 are being deported without their parents to the Haitian border, which puts them at significant risk. The Dominican government must immediately cease these inhumane practices. The rights of children must be respected,” Mompremier added

According to Rémy Occéan, coordinator of the Haitian government’s Institute of Social Welfare and Research (IBESR), the agency welcomed 59 unaccompanied children, including 37 boys and 22 girls, forcibly deported from the Dominican Republic to Haiti’s northeast border in September alone. Occéan decried the inhumane conditions in which these children were sent back, without paperwork, often barefoot, with torn clothes, and in a state of extreme hunger. 

Recent data published by the International Organization for Migration (OIM) show that of 36,675 undocumented children deported to Haiti between November 2022 and September 2024, over 78% were forced deportations from the Dominican Republic.

During the same period, forced deportations of people — all age groups included— from Haiti’s closest neighbor accounted for 86.29% of the total of 398,982 expelled. The United States comes second with a far lower number of  8.17% of the total deportations.

Occéan emphasized that these deportations violate international treaties and conventions related to children’s rights. The International Convention on the Rights of the Child, which both Haiti and the Dominican Republic have signed, explicitly prohibits separating children from their parents against their will. However, the deportations from the DR routinely disregard this agreement, stripping even babies from their mothers at times. 

Vulnerability of deported children and context

These Haitian children, who already face systemic poverty and discrimination in the neighboring country, are now at heightened risk due to these forced deportations. Stripped of their social and familial support networks, many fall prey to human trafficking, sexual exploitation, and other forms of abuse.

“These deportations worry us about how the Dominican Republic keeps expelling children from 0 to 17 years old without their parents to the border with Haiti.”

Nerline Mompremier, Coordinator of the Ouanaminthe Women’s Association

Occéan further revealed disturbing reports of Dominican border control agents abusing Haitian girls before deporting them, calling for immediate action from the Haitian authorities.

“Our compatriots are suffering on the other side of the border. We urge the authorities to investigate these violations and protect our people, notably our children,” the coordinator of IBESR for the Northeast Department said.

Tensions between the two nations have intensified in recent years. In 2013, a Dominican court ruling stripped citizenship from thousands of Dominican-born individuals of Haitian descent, leaving many stateless. Since then, deportations, including those of minors, have increased, often in violation of international law.

Furious, Jocelyn Bertil, executive director of the Research and Actions for Collective Welfare (GRABEC, its French acronym), criticized the Dominican immigration’s treatment of Haitian children, accusing the government of racial discrimination.

“Most of them are children born in the Dominican Republic who are being expelled simply because of the color of their skin. It’s disgraceful,” Bertil said

Lack of coordination and support amid call for international action

Children deported to Haiti often receive minimal support. Some are placed in temporary shelters like the Kay Ti Moun, Creole for Children’s Home,  in Ouanaminthe, operated by IBESR in collaboration with local women’s associations. However, the resources available to care for these children are insufficient.

Overwhelmed, organizations in the region have called on the Haitian government to prioritize child welfare in the national budget, ensuring that deported minors receive the necessary care and protection.

Stressing the situation’s urgency, Occéan said: “It is time for the Haitian government to prioritize children. Adequate funding for social welfare is essential to addressing this crisis.”

Human rights groups and child protection advocates are now calling for urgent international intervention to halt the ‘awful deportations’ of Haitian children and ensure compliance with international child protection standards.  Mompremier urged the Dominican border control agents to respect the dignity of these children.

“The growing outrage over the Dominican Republic’s deportation practices highlights the need for greater enforcement of human rights treaties and a reevaluation of the treatment of Haitian migrants, especially minors. This is not just in the DR but also in other countries throughout the Americas and beyond,” Mompremier concluded.

The post Outrage Grows in Haiti’s Northeast over Dominican Republic’s deportation of unaccompanied Haitian children  appeared first on The Haitian Times.

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Outrage Grows in Haiti’s Northeast over Dominican Republic’s deportation of unaccompanied Haitian children  was first posted on September 29, 2024 at 10:42 am.