Attorney General Francisco Dominguez Brito has reiterated his concern over increasing prostitution in the Dominican Republic. In an interview with Diario Libre, he says prostitution is not a joke. “Many people laugh it off, and think it’s trivial, but it cannot be discounted as trivial,” he told reporters. He said that people smuggling and exploitation networks in the country were strong and well organized. Dominguez Brito pointed out that Dominican nationals are fourth in the world in sex trafficking, and most of this is due to recruiting work by the networks.
He said that is why he upholds the announcement that the government will arrest anyone caught soliciting prostitutes.
He said that women were held in conditions of semi-slavery, and are victims, both women as well as men. Dominguez Brito said he is concerned there are areas of the country where young women cannot go out at night because they fear being harassed and mistaken for a sex worker. He also mentioned the stigma Dominicans who travel abroad need to face. The AG expressed his concern that the country is being sold as a sex tourism destination.
Dominguez Brito says that the government is working to reduce sex trafficking in Sosua, Cabarete, Boca Chica and Las Terrenas.