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Description

This research examines how structural risk factors and government response gaps influence labor, sexual, and child trafficking in the Dominican Republic. While trafficking is often treated primarily as a criminal justice issue, this study argues that it is deeply rooted in socio-economic inequality, institutional weakness, and limited social-service infrastructure. Drawing on interdisciplinary literature, the project situates trafficking within broader systems of poverty, statelessness, gender inequality, migration pressures, and tourism-based economic dependency that shape vulnerability across Dominican communities.

The study advances three primary hypotheses: (1) higher levels of economic vulnerability are associated with higher prevalence of trafficking; (2) weaker government response capacity is associated with greater persistence of trafficking networks; and (3) limited social-service infrastructure increases child trafficking vulnerability. To test these hypotheses, the research employs a multi-method design combining quantitative content analysis of official and NGO data with semi-structured interviews of stakeholders, including social workers and anti-trafficking practitioners.

Key independent variables include economic vulnerability, government response capacity, and strength of social-service infrastructure. Dependent variables measure trafficking prevalence, persistence, and child vulnerability using composite indicators derived from publicly available administrative data and documented cases.

By integrating structural inequality with institutional performance, this study contributes an intersectional framework for understanding trafficking in the Dominican Republic. The findings aim to inform policy reforms that move beyond criminalization toward structural prevention, institutional strengthening, and targeted protection for the country’s most vulnerable populations.

Publication Date

4-30-2026

Keywords

Human Trafficking, Socioeconomic Inequality, Dominican Republic.

How Do Structural Risk Factors and Government Response Gaps Influence Labor, Sexual, and Child Trafficking in the Dominican Republic?

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