In the Dominican Republic, Free the Slaves works to prevent trafficking and forced labor by combining community-led action, stronger institutional responses, and survivor-centered support. Since 2018, we have partnered with MUDHA to implement our Community Liberation approach in 13 communities, reaching more than 3,000 people, helping survivors connect to services, and strengthening grassroots groups to safely report traffickers. We also collaborate with the International Association of Women Judges to improve justice-sector responses, including convening a judicial conference in Santo Domingo. Building on the Dominican Republic’s role as host of the 2023 Global Freedom from Slavery Forum, we aim to ensure reforms translate into real change: safer conditions, fairer pay, and access to justice and remediation when abuse occurs.
People trapped in forms of modern slavery
Per 1000 people
The economy of the Dominican Republic is one of the most dynamic in the region, driven mainly by services, tourism, and free trade zones, along with mining and agroindustry; yet severe forms of exploitation persist—especially where poverty, discrimination, and irregular migration intersect. The 2023 Global Slavery Index estimates that 72,000 people in the Dominican Republic were living in modern slavery in 2021—about 6.6 per 1,000 people, which places the country among the highest estimated rates in the Americas.
Trafficking and forced labor risks are most acute in labor-intensive and informal sectors. Migrant workers—particularly people of Haitian origin or descent—can face heightened vulnerability due to barriers to documentation, limited oversight, and abusive recruitment or employment practices. Risks have been documented in sugar-related supply chains, and other reporting highlights forced labor concerns across areas such as agriculture, construction, domestic work, and street-based work.
The Dominican Republic has laws intended to address trafficking, including Law 137-03 on trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants, but enforcement and protection gaps remain. The U.S. Trafficking in Persons Report (2025), has emphasized, as positive, the early response mechanisms for the identification of victims (including Haitian migrants and Dominicans of Haitian descent), the improvement of labor inspections and investigations, and expanded, well-resourced victim services.
However, given the number of victims, these measures do not negate the need for stronger accountability and worker protections that reach the places where exploitation happens—worksites, recruitment pathways, and communities. Durable solutions require actions that connect community leadership and survivor-informed support with effective government action and responsible business practices, so that reforms translate into safer conditions, fair treatment, and access to remedy.
Year FTS started working in Dominican Republic
In the Dominican Republic, Free the Slaves is working to tackle the multifaceted challenges of modern slavery. Our projects are designed to address immediate issues as well as build long-term resilience against the threats of bonded labor, trafficking, and other forms of modern slavery. Below, we spotlight our projects showcasing our comprehensive approach in the Dominican Republic.
Countering Trafficking in Persons in the Dominican Republic
Dates: August 2019 – January 2022
Free the Slaves strengthened community-led protection and institutional coordination against forced labor and human trafficking in the Dominican Republic through a multi-sector initiative implemented with Movimiento de Mujeres Dominicanas y Haitianas (MUDHA) and the International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ). Running from 2018–2021, the project focused on building local resilience and improving victim-centered responses in 13 vulnerable communities across Santo Domingo, San Cristóbal, and Puerto Plata.
At the heart of the project was a participatory, community-driven approach. Teams conducted social mapping in each community to identify risk factors, recruitment pathways, and gaps in services—generating community-level evidence that was largely missing from official data. This process helped communities design practical, locally owned solutions.
The project supported the creation of 13 Community Protection Committees (CPCs)—grassroots groups of local leaders trained to recognize trafficking indicators, organize prevention activities, and connect people to help. More than 520 community members received training in community organizing and trafficking identification and referral, using tools such as MUDHA’s Community Maturity Tool, with knowledge gains reported as high as 70%.
To bridge community and institutional responses, the project helped finalize a national identification and referral protocol and trained 52 staff from Community Houses of Justice to coordinate with CPCs. During COVID-19 restrictions, the project also supported digital communication and case-management tools to sustain referrals, coordination, and survivor support when in-person access was limited.
By combining community leadership with stronger institutional coordination, the initiative helped make trafficking risks more visible, improved local capacity to identify and respond to cases, and strengthened partnerships that can sustain long-term prevention and protection. Throughout, the project centered survivor safety, dignity, and access to services—ensuring that community resilience translates into real pathways to protection and justice.
Partnerships in the Region
FTS Strategy for Dominican Republic
Policy and Advocacy
Engaging with government stakeholders and civil society to strengthen the legal framework and promoting the equitable documentation of Haitian migrants and Dominicans of Haitian descent to reduce vulnerability to forced labor.
Partnerships and Services
Working with survivors, local partners, and international allies to expand referral systems, legal assistance, healthcare, and socio-economic support. Partnering with companies in the cocoa and sugar sectors to integrate risk assessment and prevention measures into supply chains.
Training and Capacity Building
Rolling out the Community Liberation Toolkit to strengthen community-level responses and build the capacity of frontline actors.
Movement Building
Inviting representatives of the Dominican Republic to the Latin America and Caribbean regional forums to enhance national and regional conversations, share best practices, and coordinate action across countries.
Dominican Republic’s Legal Framework on Modern Slavery
- Child Labor
- Forced Labor
- Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery
- Key Government Policies and International Commitments
Labor Code (Law No. 16-92, enacted May 29, 1992): Regulates the employment of minors under Title II “On the Work of Minors” (Articles 244–254), prohibiting employment under age 14 and setting conditions and work-hour limits for those aged 14 to 18. Link: https://natlex.ilo.org/dyn/natlex2/natlex2/files/download/29744/DOM29744.pdf?
Code for the Protection System and the Fundamental Rights of Boys, Girls and Adolescents (Law No. 136-03, enacted August 7, 2003; in force 2004): Provides comprehensive protection for children and adolescents, including criminal sanctions for exploitation and trafficking: Relevant provisions: Article 25 (prohibition of commercialization, prostitution, and pornography of minors); Articles 406, 409–411 (penalties for illicit transfer, commercial exploitation, and sexual exploitation of minors). Link: https://www.oas.org/dil/esp/LEY%20136-03%20-%20Codigo%20para%20el%20Sistema%20de%20Protecci%C3%B3n%20y%20los%20Derechos%20Fundamentales%20de%20Ni%C3%B1os%20Ni%C3%B1as%20y%20Adolescentes%20Republica%20Dominicana.pdf
Constitution of the Dominican Republic, Article 62(2) Link: https://antislaverylaw.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Dominican-Republic-Constitution.pdf
Constitution of the Dominican Republic, Article 41 Explicitly prohibits slavery, servitude, trafficking, and the trade in persons in all forms: https://antislaverylaw.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Dominican-Republic-Constitution.pdf
Law No. 137-03 on the Illicit Traffic in Migrants and Trafficking in Persons: Criminalizes human trafficking under Article 3 and Arts. 5–7: mip.gob.do
1930 Forced Labour Convention (ILO Convention No. 29) — ratified December 5, 1956 Commits the Dominican Republic to suppress all forms of forced or compulsory labor: https://normlex.ilo.org/dyn/nrmlx_en/f?p=NORMLEXPUB:12100:0::NO::P12100_INSTRUMENT_ID:312174
1957 Abolition of Forced Labour Convention (ILO Convention No. 105) — ratified June 23, 1958. Prohibits the use of forced labor for purposes of political coercion, punishment, or economic development: https://normlex.ilo.org/dyn/nrmlx_en/f?p=NORMLEXPUB:12100:0::NO:12100:P12100_INSTRUMENT_ID:312250:NOhttps://www.ilo.org/dyn/normlex/en/f?
1999 Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention (ILO Convention No. 182) — ratified November 15, 2000
Obligates the State to take immediate measures to eliminate the worst forms of child labor, including slavery, trafficking, and hazardous work.: https://normlex.ilo.org/dyn/nrmlx_en/f?p=NORMLEXPUB:12100:0::NO:12100:P12100_INSTRUMENT_ID:312327:NO
1956 Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, the Slave Trade and Institutions and Practices Similar to Slavery — ratified October 31, 1962 Extends the 1926 Slavery Convention to include servile marriage, debt bondage, and similar practices: https://treaties.un.org/pages/ViewDetailsIII.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XVIII-4&chapter=18&Temp=mtdsg3&clang=_en
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR, 1966) — ratified January 4, 1978. Article 8 prohibits slavery, servitude, and forced labor. https://treaties.un.org/doc/treaties/1976/03/19760323%2006-17%20am/ch_iv_04.pdf
Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children (Palermo Protocol, 2000) — ratified February 5, 2008: Supplements the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, promoting international cooperation to prevent and combat trafficking: https://treaties.un.org/Pages/Viewhttps://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XVIII-12-a&chapter=18Details.aspx?s
Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (1998) — ratified May 12, 2005
Defines enslavement and human trafficking as crimes against humanity under international law: https://www.icc-cpi.int/resource-library/documents/rs-eng.pdf
FTS Staff for Dominican Republic
Cinthia Belbussi
Latin America Regional Manager/ Directora Regional para América Latina