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WASHINGTON. – Dominican Republic today rejected the practice of State-sponsored discrimination against Haitian immigrants and descendants when issuing documents, affirming that it makes “efforts” to modernize its civil registry, to “secure  and guarantee citizens’ rights.”

Electoral Board president Roberto Rosario, who headed Dominican Republic’s representation before the OAS’ Inter-American Human Rights Commission (CIDH), testified in today’s hearings that began March 21 and will be held until April 1, said in the last few years civil society and the CIDH itself have expressed concern about the situation of documents for Haitian immigrants and descendants. “There’s no national racial discrimination policy; what happens is that, as a poor State, we have a deficiency which is sustained by the nationals as well as foreigners, and they are mostly Haitian immigrants.”

Rosario said the civil registry is also a problem “with a vicious circle of poverty and the lack of documentation, many who are poor aren’t aware that they must regularize their situation.”

To remedy those deficiencies, the official said his Government has been using caravans to create awareness in low income and rural populations on the importance of having proper documents to receive basic services, such as health and education.