COVID-19 Impacts on the Haitian Population and Their Descendants in the Southern Zone of the Dominican Republic
In pandemic times, social inclusion is not optional. Written by OBMICA director Bridget Wooding and associate researcher Allison J. Petrozziello, this study investigates the effects of COVID-19 on migrants and their descendants born in the Dominican Republic within the framework of Law 169-14 and the National Plan for the Regularization of Foreigners since 2015, while also updating knowledge on access to birth registration before and during the pandemic.
Written by OBMICA director Bridget Wooding and associate researcher Allison J. Petrozziello, this research has two main objectives: first, to investigate the effects of COVID-19 on migrants and their descendants born in the Dominican Republic within the framework of the implementation of Law 169-14 and the National Plan for the Regularization of Foreigners (PNRE) since 2015; and second, to update the state of knowledge regarding access to birth registration for children of people benefiting from Law 169-14 or the PNRE before and during the pandemic.
The study, published in Spanish and English and also available in a French research summary, was launched on June 18 in a webinar of the platform Dominican@s por Derecho. It is based on the voices of migrants and their descendants who describe the impacts of the pandemic on their communities. The brief highlights the nexus between international migration, statelessness, and other global challenges, including the urgent public health need to protect and vaccinate everyone during a pandemic.