Roberto Rosario, president of the Central Electoral Board (Junta Central Electoral - JCE) responsible of the civil registry and the issuance of the Dominican identity cards (Cédulas), has denounced the existence of a network of women who present themselves as the biological mothers of Haitian children in order to obtain birth certificates, to legalize these children as Dominican citizens. He said that the JCE will be a civil party against anyone who is engaged in this practice and that the latter will be subjected to the action of justice.

After investigation to the late reporting unit of births of the JCE, Roberto Rosario explained that the prosecutors had found that Dominican women presented themselves to the offices of the civil status as the biological mothers of Haitian children, in exchange of the payment of a certain sum of money by the real parents. Stating that these cases are increasingly, Roberto Rosario said that this was a serious problem, which reflected the diversity of operations by illegal networks.

He also indicated that the women who engage in this activity, do it because they ignore the existence of methods to easily detect the affiliation between a mother and her child, as DNA testing. Roberto Rosario said that the JCE will act with firmness and responsibly, without discrimination, in accordance with the provisions of the law to put an end to this practice.

S/ HaitiLibre