Child Rights in the Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is an important sourcing country for products including cocoa, coffee, bananas, sugar, tobacco and recycled materials. While these industries contribute significantly to the country's economy, child rights risks remain in parts of the agricultural and informal sectors where poverty, limited access to education and informal employment increase children's vulnerability.

Children have been found working in agriculture, waste collection and other hazardous forms of labour, while children of Haitian descent and those without identity documents face heightened risks of exploitation and exclusion from education.

Companies sourcing from the Dominican Republic are increasingly expected to identify and address these risks as part of their HRDD processes. This is particularly important for businesses supplying the U.S. market, where imports linked to forced labour can be detained or prohibited by U.S. Customs and Border Protection under Section 307 of the U.S. Tariff Act, which has been enforced more rigorously in recent years.