Investigative journalism - Assignment Example

Haitian Immigrants Discrimination in the Dominican Republic Introduction
Dominican Republic and Haiti are neighboring Caribbean countries that share a lot of common similarities than differences in form of natural calamities, economic and social problems. Despite of the two countries facing similar risks, the ANACLA and the RedCross investigation funded by the United States government and the United Nation found that, the Haitians immigrants who suffered from the 2010 or the other previous devastating earthquakes are being discriminated against by the Dominican Republic. However, it is worth acknowledging that, when the earthquake struck the Port-au-Prince in 2010 January along the Hispaniola Dominican Republic-Haiti border, the initial response brought the two nations together. For instance, the two nations worked together by developing emergency aids tools equipped with health professionals supported by the United Nations to control the condition. Nevertheless, neither Dominican majority citizens nor its government has shown mercy to the Haitian Immigrants in their midst through political, social and human rights (Maximay, P. 73).
For instance, Jenny Moron, a Santo Domingo based legal coordinator for the movement of the Dominican-Haiti women rights concur with abuses, discrimination and social prejudice faced by the Haitian immigrants from the Dominican Republic citizens. Conversely, within the Southern Border that provides a link between the Dominican Pedernales town, and the Anse-a-Pitre Haitian city emerge as the source of conflicts that exists between the two nations. Along this region, it has been found that, there are a lot of crimes cases committed by the Dominican border guards to the Haitians immigrants. For example, there are stabbing cases and shooting of the Haitian motorists who tries to cross the border for social amenities and human needs (Maximay, P. 59).
However, when the January 2010 earthquake struck the Haitian-Dominican border, the Dominican Republic responded ineffectively to opening of the border for free cross of Humanitarians’, food and medical supplies. For this reason, there was a lot of congestion of the Haitian immigrants at the cross-border resulting in the outbreak of communicable diseases such as Cholera, increased cases of death and loss of property (Meruane & Rosenberg, P 156). At this pathetic condition, the Dominican Republic ordered the border closure with justification of trying to control the spread of the communicable diseases. From a different scenario, thousand Haitian inhabitants that are dependent on the Dominican Pedernales markets for basic needs accessibility and business regularly faces market closure for more than six weeks resulting in food spoilage and deterioration of the Haitian Ase-a-Pitre economy (Clammer & Jens Porup, P. 292).
On a broad front, the most affected Haitian victims are the Haitian mothers who heads the household chores with pressure to seek employment to manage their families on the Dominican side according to Santan a 52 years old leader of the Women’s Associations of Anse-a-Pitre who suffer a great misery in the hands of the Dominicans as sexual victims, rape as well as economic victims. In contrast, the Haitians immigrants faces a lot of challenges in relation to awareness of their rights and freedom as advocated by their state that gives the Dominican Republic changes to exploit them at all levels due to ignorance (Meruane & Rosenberg, P 137). For instance, the political crisis that regularly faces Haitian government results to media suppression compared to the Dominican Republic which the direct the advantage to discriminate the Haitian immigrates due to lack of coverage of the crimes committed (Clammer & Jens Porup, P. 286).
Recommendation
After reviewing all the investigations, interviews summaries and the interview reports, the assessment credibility and the list of evidence materials in reference to the discrimination of the Haitian immigrants during the devastating earthquake by the Dominican Republic citizens worth a proactive response. The Haitian government should train their citizens on the human freedom and human rights by allowing media penetration. In addition, there should be a creation of border policies that allows free crossing at times of crisis and free trade. However, since the evidence supports the violation of human rights at the cross-border between the two states and discrimination, the above measures should be taken to avoid further consequences of discrimination.
Conclusion
Haiti and Dominican Republic level of discrimination at the cross-border is a complex subject that can only be achieved through collective bargains. Free penetration of media coverage, formulation of policies and rules that control discrimination across the borders and proper coordination of the two states are the essential components in eliminating the level of discrimination among the two countries.
Work cited
Clammer, Paul, Michael Grosberg, and Jens Porup. Dominican Republic & Haiti. Footscray, Vic: Lonely Planet, 2008. Print.
Meruane, Lina, and Andrea Rosenberg. Viral Voyages: Tracing Aids in Latin America. , 2014.
Maximay, Steve. "The Caribbeans Response to Climate Change Impacts." (2015). Print. Read More