HRC58: Denouncing systemic racism and xenophobia against Dominicans and Afrodescendants

The General Debate Item 9 of the 58th session of the Human Rights Council was held between 27 and 28 March 2025, addressing issues related to racism, racial discrimination and related forms of intolerance. On 27 March, the session saw statements from States representatives, including members of the African group, and from non-governmental organisations. 

Ghana, on behalf of the African Group, highlighted that the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (DDPA) should continue to signify international recognition of Africans and People of African descent as victims of racism, noting that slavery, the transatlantic slave trade and colonialism are among the sources, causes and forms of contemporary intolerances. Further, in the context of the African Union theme of the year 2025, ‘Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations’, the group recalled their view of reparatory justice as a critical vehicle through which we can collectively address the structural and systemic impacts of historical injustices. 

On 28 March, the continued session featured interventions from members of the United Nations Antiracism Coalition (UNARC) including Conectas, Amnesty International, ISHR and Fundación Código Humano, which illustrated the violations suffered by Africans and People of African Descent due to systemic racism and called on States and international institutions to strengthen existing human rights standards.

In a joint statement by ISHR and Fundación Código Humano, Altagracia Jean Joseph condemned the violent treatment of migrants and Dominicans of African descent in the Dominican Republic (DR), drawing attention to severe human rights violations taking place in the country and urged the DR to return to the respect for human dignity as a guiding principle, upholding the implementation of the DDPA.

Watch and read the full statement below:

We denounce the actions of the Dominican Republic against human rights and the violent treatment of migrants of African descent in the country. 

On 2 October 2024, the Dominican Republic president announced massive deportations of undocumented migrants, which included a figure of  10,000 deportations per week of migrants. The people affected by these measures are the ordinary Dominicans and Afro-descendants (Black men and women) who are chosen only because of the colour of their skin, which violates their rights to freedom, legitimate defence, effective judicial protection, health, and education. 

Additionally, our children’s right to protection is null and void, especially for the ones living in impoverished neighbourhoods, where many migrants are sent due to racial profiling. Others are deported without any words or a proper process of verification. We demand that the Dominican Republic, out of respect for its constitution, laws and conventions respect human rights, specifically those of the most vulnerable people, women, children, adolescents, and Black elderly people. We also demand the end of arbitrary deportations of Dominicans just because they are Black, that [the authorities] respect life, the right to free transit, the privacy of homes, that they put an end to the sexual violations against women of African descent who are wrongly considered foreigners, that they take sanctions against law enforcement agents who enter homes in the early hours of the morning.

We urge the Dominican Republic to make evident the effective judicial protection and due processes as established in the Dominican constitution in articles 68 and 69, that [the authorities] stop the extractivism that is killing our fields and rivers, that they guarantee the rights of children to the fulfilment of their infancy and the right to grow in a safe and healthy environment; without the uncertainty that they live in today.

We call for the return to legality, order, respect and value of human dignity as a guiding principle of the nation.