Re: Sensationalism and Fabrication - from where?
My investigation shows that much of the "fake" press is the result of Denisse Pichardo, a Catholic nun who oversees the fight against child prostitution in the Dominican Republic, Director of the educative projecto Caminante, along with investigators Nancy Alvarez and Carlos Lugo. Her project gets its money from Church World Service, a sister program of the Project of Integral Development and Fundacion Mario Santo Domingo.
Recent statements by Pichardo and/or her investigators that appeared in the press: "Boca Chica se ha elevado el deterioro del medio ambiental, a la vez que se ha convertido en un para?so sexual de menores. En la playa de Boca Chica los traficantes sexuales ofrecen ni?as a los pederastas como parte del ``men?'' a distintos precios." Loosely translated, "Boca Chica has elevated itself to a damaged place since the time it became a paradise for sex with minors". They also claim the same marked presence of child prostitution in Puerto Plata. Alvarez claims she witnessed kids between the ages of 10 and 12 being "caressed" by tourists in front of the police.
El Nuevo Mundo. Jan 16, 2001.
In one report, Lizardo Jorje, Director of the Tourist Police, said that minors arrive by the busload, daily, in order to be sold to have sex with tourists. Hoy. Dec 7, 2001. What a joke. Sensationalism at its best.
This organization is a frequent source of exaggerations and misrepresentations appearing in the media. It is my opinion, these untrue meia reports are responsible for many of the human rights violations perpetuated against local Dominicans by the police in the form of random arrests and detention without any formal charges.
On top of that, the media sources quote each other as MORE evidence that all this is true. For an example, one only needs to read the editorial that appeared in the Listen Diario on Dec 17, 2001. Loosely translated: The frequency with which the sexual exploitation of minors is denounced in Boca Chica is reliable proof of the gravity of the phenomenon (http://www.listindiario.com.do/antes/171201/cuerpos/opinion/opinion.htm). This same article claims there are 25,000 child prostitutes in the Dominican Republic.
These stories just make me laugh. While I don't doubt there exists child prostitution, most any tourist visiting Boca Chica would not witness it even if they were looking for it, yet the media continues to present the picture of Rampant Child Prostitution, not only in Boca Chica, but elsewhere in the country. These stories reek of sensationalism and fabrication.
