Spanish
Santo Domingo. – The First Lady of the Republic and president of the Childhood and Adolescence Cabinet, Raquel Arbaje, raised her voice this Monday against the recent cases of sexual exploitation of minors detected in an operation led by the Public Ministry in the province of Puerto Plata.
Arbaje described child abuse as "deplorable" and reiterated that the protection of children should remain a priority of the Dominican State. "The use of the innocence of our children for criminal purposes is not only unacceptable, it is an act that must be fully punished in the courts," he stated.
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In that context, he announced that the Cabinet for Children and Adolescents is working on a reform to Law 136-03 to strengthen the mechanisms for prevention and response to this type of crime. He also acknowledged significant progress in child protection in recent years, although he stressed that the National Council for Children and Adolescents (Conani) still needs more resources to fulfill its responsibilities. "It has been greatly strengthened, but Conani still needs more support," he said. The First Lady's statements come after a major operation carried out in Sosúa, Puerto Plata, in which 174 women were rescued, including seven minors. The action was executed by a multi-agency team after weeks of intelligence work, leading to the creation of a specialized prosecutor's office in the area. During the operation, 29 raids were carried out, 12 boarding houses and 17 alcohol sales centers were intervened, and 22 men were arrested. Weapons and other evidence related to the crimes of sexual exploitation, pimping and illicit trafficking of migrants were also seized. The executive president of the National Council for Personal Care (Conanp), Ligia Jeannette Pérez Peña, revealed that some victims were exploited by their own family members, and lamented the lack of commitment of some guardians to the well-being of their children. The operation was coordinated by the Specialized Prosecutor's Office against Trafficking in Persons, the Prosecutor's Office of Puerto Plata and the General Directorate of Prosecution, with the support of other state institutions. More than 500 agents and 35 prosecutors participated.
