Daily Archives: June 16, 2015

Nationality + Migration
As registration of Haitians in the Dominican Republic falls short of population numbers, the country looks to move forward with controversial deportations
  • A little under half of the more than 500,000 migrant workers in the Dominican Republic have begun the documentation process with the Wednesday deadline looming, leaving the Haitian community, which comprises 90% of migrant workers, vulnerable to deportation.
  • The situation comes as a result of the strict legal measures restricting citizenship and immigration that began with the stripping of the citizenship of Dominicans born to Haitian immigrants after 1929.
  • Immigrants who have submitted themselves for registration will have 45 more days to complete the process, while the rest will be subject to deportations that the law’s opposers say can only result from community targeting and racial profiling.

“The signals are clear. …The Dominican government is setting up logistics, placing vehicles and personnel to start the process of repatriation.”

More on this story at The New York Times.

(Image Credit: Tatiana Fernandez/Associated Press, via The New York Times)

Sexual + Gender Minorities
South Korean court rules LGBT march can proceed as planned following the police’s injunction against the event
  • Police had earlier denied the necessary permits to the Korean Queer Cultural Festival as a result of permit applications filed by conservative Christian activists to block the event.
  • Last year’s march saw conservative activists disrupting the parade through route blockage and protesting.
  • Organizers expect around 20,000 to participate in the march.

“This court’s decision in relation to the police’s unjust notice prohibiting assembly is important. … Within a democratic country, built on civil society, the guarantee that society can use their voice has a deep meaning.”

More on this story at BuzzFeed.

(Image Credit: Simon Williams-Im via Flickr, via BuzzFeed)

Race + Color + Ethnicity, Religion + Belief
Ahead of Myanmar elections, concerns mount over extremist tactics among Buddhist nationalists as memories of recent violence persist
  • Hundreds were killed in 2012 and 2013 in clashes between Myanmar’s Buddhist majority and Muslim minority, particularly in the western state of Rakhine.
  • Politicians are leery of alienating Buddhist-majority constituents by condemning the violence, but face international pressure to speak up for ethnic and religious minorities.
  • Myanmar transitioned to semi-democratic rule in 2012, but with uneven rights to expression and anxiety over the upcoming elections, non-Buddhists (particularly Muslims) are fearful for their security.

More on this story at Reuters.

(Image Credit: Soe Zeya Tun/Reuters)

Age, Gender
The African Union works to tackle continent-wide child marriage problem at its latest summit in Johannesburg
  • In sub-Saharan Africa, two in five girls are married off before adulthood, with the highest rate in Niger, where three in four are.
  • The AU plan requires the criminalization of child marriage and the development of prevention strategies.
  • The practice has held the continent back from reaching six of the eight Millennium Development Goals, including education and public health targets.

“It’s unacceptable that a continent as rich as Africa – with oil and diamonds, and with coltan that is found in everyone’s phone – can leave its people so poor that they feel they have no choice but to marry off their daughters.”

More on this story at Reuters.