Spanish
Santo Domingo.– The Minister of Interior and Police, Faride Raful, informed that the new Penal Code of the Dominican Republic incorporates specific criminal figures and more rigorous sanctions for the crimes of gender violence and femicide, which will allow the authorities to act more effectively in the prevention, investigation and prosecution of these crimes.
Raful explained that the legislation will come into effect in a year, a period in which the security and justice institutions must train to correctly apply the new provisions.You may be interested in: FARIDE RAFUL OFFENDED BY IMPUTATIONS
“We will have to prepare to learn in detail the new criminal types, how to proceed in each case and ensure that the law is followed,” he said after participating in the weekly follow-up meeting of the Citizen Security Plan.
The minister highlighted that the new Criminal Code expands the legal approach to violence against women, considering not only intimate femicide committed by the partner or ex-partner, but also other forms such as non-intimate femicide and femicide by connection. In addition, it reinforces the penalization of psychological, economic and patrimonial violence, recognizing that these forms of aggression often precede more serious events. In that sense, Raful highlighted that many aggressions occur in the private sphere and are difficult to detect, which is why it is essential to reinforce prevention. "Violence does not always leave visible marks. There is emotional violence, economic control and other mechanisms of subjugation that sometimes even the victim herself does not identify. We must educate, raise awareness and encourage reporting so that the system can respond in time," he said. The official linked these measures to the reality of the country, where in recent weeks there have been high-impact cases, with women murdered by their partners and ex-partners. She recalled that gender violence is a cyclical phenomenon, where many victims, for different reasons, return to their aggressors, increasing the risk of femicide. “We must break that cycle and ensure that victims accept and maintain the protection of the State,” she said. Regarding the recent detention of journalist Edward Ramírez, Raful indicated that the circumstances are being investigated to determine if there was a violation of rights, and that the final reports from the Police and the Public Ministry are awaited before offering conclusions. Raful reiterated that the implementation of the new Penal Code is an opportunity to coordinate efforts between the National Police, the Public Ministry, the Judiciary, and civil society organizations. He also insisted that citizen security must include the comprehensive protection of women and early attention to risk factors that can lead to femicide. Finally, he affirmed that gender violence is a structural problem that requires a sustained commitment from the authorities and society as a whole, and that the new legal framework, added to preventive and educational policies, can mark a turning point in the fight against femicides in the Dominican Republic.
