Frequently Asked Questions
ABOUT THE PROJECT
WHAT IS APRENDETO?
WHAT IS NETFORM?
THE PSYCHOLOGICAL MECHANISM BEHIND THE APRENDETO PLATFORM
WHY NOW?
WHY THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC?
ABOUT THE TEAM
THE GLOBAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROJECT
THE IMPACT OF EXISTING SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT ON SOCIAL DEGRADATION
WHY COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT MATTERS SO MUCH
WHY COMMUNITY SUPPORT FOR THE PROJECT MATTERS GLOBALLY
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE WILL TAKE EVERYONE’S JOBS
OFFICIAL DATA
1.ABOUT THE PROJECT
AprendeTO is currently a pre-seed stage project with a clear validation plan: start in the Dominican Republic, prove behavior change at small scale, and only then expand. This isn’t an attempt to build everything at once — it’s a structured experiment with specific, measurable success criteria before significant resources go into scaling.
The AprendeTO project uses the NetForm model, which takes the engaging style of TikTok and Facebook communities and combines it with real, practical value that genuinely improves people’s lives.This is not just another EdTech platform in the traditional sense. It is a new model of educational infrastructure — a learning system embedded into everyday content consumption that works through short, practical videos (30–180 seconds), just like TikTok, but with valuable content that helps people develop useful skills and supports socially accepted moral norms.
The project was created to change behavior, not just to deliver knowledge. It is specifically designed for people with low literacy, unstable daily routines, and limited access to quality education. AprendeTo’s goal is to provide real, practical value in everyday life to those whom traditional schools and existing EdTech platforms fail to reach — because those platforms are built for audiences with good reading skills, the ability to analyze cause and effect, and the capacity to focus long-term on topics that require deep engagement.
2.WHAT IS APRENDETO?
AprendeTo is a project and a brand that develops a new type of educational solution by applying game psychology principles, making learning both engaging and practical for people in LATAM who have been left behind by the traditional education system and most existing EdTech platforms.
Key characteristics:
It is designed for people with low literacy, short attention spans, and limited ability to learn in traditional ways.
The project focuses on practical, real-life skills (such as income generation, health, hygiene, basic financial literacy, and others).
The target audience consists of people in Latin America and Africa, especially those who actively use social media in their daily lives.
The project is currently being prepared for a pilot phase in the Dominican Republic, but its goal is to create a solution that can scale to approximately 2 billion people across LATAM and Africa.
AprendeTo’s main objective is to change people’s behavior, not only to provide theoretical knowledge.
In short: AprendeTO is a project built to address the global education crisis using a completely different approach than schools or traditional EdTech applications.
3.WHAT IS NETFORM?
NetForm is the learning infrastructure used by AprendeTO: not a separate platform you have to remember to open, but learning built directly into daily content consumption. Each lesson is a 30–90-180 second voice-guided video with immediate feedback and a practical action you can apply right away. No exams. No grades. Progress is measured by usage and real-world action, not test scores.
It is not a traditional EdTech platform or app, but a system in which education is embedded into the daily flow of content, similar to a social media feed. It operates on the principle of “learn – apply – repeat – earn,” where users receive positive recognition for positive actions and can clearly see their own progress.
Users learn practical skills through short videos, immediately apply them in daily life, repeat the process, and receive feedback. NetForm does not rely on theory or academic prerequisites. It is designed for people who do not have the time, discipline, or literacy required for traditional learning processes. The system evolves based on real user demand and behavior.
Key features:
Learning happens through short videos (30–90-180 seconds).
The model follows the principle: Learn → Apply → Repeat → Earn.
It focuses on behavior change rather than theory acquisition.
Each module addresses one specific real-life problem.
Users participate in creating and evaluating content (UGC element).
The system is built for people with low literacy and short attention spans.
There are no exams, no degrees, and no long theoretical content.
It offers virtual certificates and rewards from sponsors (including employers).
Healthy competition: users can clearly see their progress ratings, with both topic-based and regional competition.
In short: NetForm is a way to bring education into the space where people already spend their time — the short video feed — instead of asking them to enter a separate educational environment.
4.THE PSYCHOLOGICAL MECHANISM BEHIND THE APRENDETO PLATFORM
AprendeTO’s design is based on how people actually learn and build habits — not on how the academic system assumes they should. Three principles are central: short learning moments that fit limited attention spans; immediate feedback that reinforces correct action and memory; and regular repetition that turns knowledge into habit. The goal isn’t to “hook” users to a platform — it’s to apply the same engagement principles social media already uses, but point them toward real, measurable skill and behavior improvement, not just time spent on screen. The system uses rhythm and repetition, immediate feedback, visual cues, and micro-rewards to build habits.
Instead of demanding discipline and long attention spans, the platform fits into people’s existing habit of consuming short videos — a habit that already captures their attention naturally. Each module addresses one real-life problem, and progress is measured by consistency of use and actual behavior change, not by exams or certificates. This approach reduces cognitive load and makes learning accessible to people for whom traditional education is either unavailable or unsuitable. AprendeTO is based on short, repetitive, and emotionally meaningful content consumption - for millions of people, this is a much more suitable way to learn than sitting at a traditional school desk.
User progress is measured through individually adapted AI-powered assessments, and achievements are rewarded to motivate higher performance — both within the chosen topic and in comparison with others in their region. AI-generated personal motivation encourages users to achieve more by offering individually assembled learning blocks that also include socially relevant topics, helping users develop a broader perspective.
5.WHY NOW?
Mobile access in the world’s poorest regions has reached critical mass, but educational content hasn’t caught up. Social media has already taught billions of people a habit — short, frequent, mobile content consumption. AI, for the first time, makes it possible to create and personalize learning content at near-zero marginal cost. And according to the World Economic Forum, 59% of the global workforce will need reskilling by 2030. These three forces — access, habit, and technology — are converging at the same moment, for the first time.
Artificial intelligence is accelerating a structural shift in the job market faster than most education systems can respond. For people who have never had access to formal retraining, this creates a direct risk of being pushed even further behind. But that is not an argument against the technology — it is an argument for accessible, practical reskilling infrastructure that can reach people now, through the devices they already use. AprendeTO is not an attempt to stop this shift. It is an attempt to make sure as many people as possible are ready for it.
Education systems around the world, especially in lower-income regions, are no longer able to provide the majority of the population with the skills they need. In the Dominican Republic, the situation is particularly critical — the country has some of the lowest PISA scores in the world and the highest rate of school harassment in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Hundreds of thousands of young people drop out of school, partly due to bullying and mobbing, while teenage mothers give birth in public hospitals on average twice a day. At the same time, more than 77% of the target audience already consumes short videos on social media every day. This combination creates a short but critical window to introduce an alternative learning model before another generation is lost.
6.WHY THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC?
The Dominican Republic is one of the most challenging, yet also one of the most suitable environments for validating this model. The country’s education system is among the weakest in Latin America — PISA 2022 results rank among the lowest globally, and the school dropout rate is the highest in the LATAM region. Teacher qualifications lag significantly behind industry standards, and physical access to schools is complicated by the country’s poorly organized transportation system.
The Dominican Republic combines everything needed for a real behavioral validation test: one of the lowest PISA 2022 scores in Latin America, high mobile access (up to 90% mobile connectivity), and significant socioeconomic diversity within a relatively small country.
High dropout rates, bullying, and education-related teenage pregnancy (21% of teenage!) create a structural crisis. At the same time, more than 77% of the population actively uses social media, and short video consumption is very high. This combination allows the model to be tested under the most difficult conditions. If the solution works in the Dominican Republic — in an environment with low learning outcomes but high mobile connectivity — it gives a strong signal for how it could work across the broader Latin American and African context.
7.ABOUT THE TEAM
AprendeTO was founded by business psychologist Velga Ina Čaikovska — an experienced entrepreneur with the psychological education and with over 22 years of international experience in sales, marketing, and business development. She has founded 11 StartUps and successfully exited 7 of them. Over the past 4,5 years, she has conducted direct field research across 15 locations in the Dominican Republic, building first-hand understanding of local culture, user behavior, and unmet market needs. She conducted in-depth field research on access to education, mobile usage patterns, and the real-life conditions behind the statistics. This experience, combined with her education in clinical psychology and marketing psychology, as well as Master’s degrees in Business Administration and Public Administration, forms the foundation of the project’s concept and its psychological approach.
After assessing the real situation in the Dominican Republic, LATAM, and Africa, Velga has built a team of professionals who deeply study how people learn and how they process information. The team develops scientifically grounded, modern solutions for teaching children in an age of information overload. They work with problematic situations in schools, successfully address mobbing and bullying in educational institutions, and create learning methodologies for children with attention difficulties. They see the need for global structural reforms that will affect broad layers of society, because understanding of all things begins with education — both in school and at home. The goal of building this team is to change the existing educational infrastructure model for that part of society whose perceptual characteristics do not align with traditional education, which has remained largely unchanged in both content and methodology for hundreds of years and no longer meets the needs of the majority of society.
8.THE GLOBAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROJECT
This isn’t just an education issue — it’s a global economic, workforce, and social stability issue. Worldwide, 739 million adults cannot read or write at all (UNESCO, 2025), and by 2030, 59% of the global workforce will need reskilling (World Economic Forum, 2025). At the same time, 6 billion people are already online (ITU, 2025) — internet access has outpaced access to meaningful education by a full generation. AprendeTO addresses exactly this gap, and it’s aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals: Quality Education, Reduced Inequalities, and Decent Work.
Traditional schools and existing EdTech platforms mostly serve only a small, educated, and above-average-income segment of society. AprendeTO offers an alternative model that works with low literacy, short attention spans, and mobile devices. If the model is successfully validated in the Dominican Republic, it will be replicated in other countries facing similar socioeconomic and educational challenges across LATAM and Africa. The goal is to build a new type of educational infrastructure for more than two billion people who are currently structurally excluded from effective education.
9.THE IMPACT OF EXISTING SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT ON SOCIAL DEGRADATION
Social media has proven that a short, mobile video format can hold billions of people’s attention every day, but currently, the majority of short-form video content on platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram is focused on entertainment and attention capture, mostly without any educational or developmental value. Concerns about social media’s effect on attention spans, mental health, and content quality, especially among young people, are legitimate and well documented.
In LATAM — and especially in the Dominican Republic — more than 77% of the target audience consumes this type of content daily, while simultaneously facing serious problems in education, employment, and personal development. AprendeTO’s approach is to use the same format — short video, repetition, and immediate feedback — but redirect it toward measurable skill and income improvement rather than endless scrolling. That is our goal, not a proven fact — which is exactly why we measure real behavior change, not just engagement time.
The dominance of this content contributes to attention fragmentation, reduces the ability to concentrate, and over time leads to social and economic exclusion as well as lower quality of life. AprendeTO’s goal is to use the same format and the same attention channels, but to replace harmful or neutral content with practical, behavior-changing information that helps people improve their daily lives and future opportunities.
10.WHY COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT MATTERS SO MUCH
Content created by academic institutions or outside experts often doesn’t match how people actually live in a given place. That’s why AprendeTO’s long-term model relies on local people and community participation — real residents demonstrating skills in a video format people recognize and trust.
Local people who face specific problems every day know best what kind of content their communities need. Their participation in requesting, creating, and sharing content makes the material more authentic, culturally relevant, and practically useful, while also helping reduce production costs.
Community involvement increases credibility and ensures that the platform develops according to real needs rather than outdated academic assumptions — both in terms of content and methodology. In addition, user-generated content, mutual support mechanisms, and community challenges help turn learning into a shared habit-building process that supports long-term behavior change.
11.WHY COMMUNITY SUPPORT FOR THE PROJECT MATTERS GLOBALLY
AprendeTO’s success doesn’t depend on users alone — it depends on a wider community: diaspora networks that already send billions of dollars home every year (in the Dominican Republic — over $11.8 billion in 2025, ~9% of GDP), impact investors looking for scalable solutions with real social return, and NGO/government partners already working in these communities but lacking the tools to scale. This project grows faster and more sustainably when it’s backed by a broader network of stakeholders, not just one organization working alone.
We are addressing people who care about what happens around them. We see an opportunity to build the kind of educational infrastructure that millions of people desperately need — infrastructure that meets their actual needs and creates real social impact through a new, innovative approach (not just “another EdTech app”). By providing skills and knowledge, it also creates a connection to income generation and economic impact.
Recognizing that the number of people with unmet needs for suitable education is in the millions, our goal is to develop a scalable skills education model with strong future monetization and growth potential across LATAM and Africa.
In today’s world, lack of education is no longer just an internal problem of distant regions. It is a global risk that affects security, economies, and social stability in Europe and other developed countries as well. When large parts of the population in Latin America, Africa, or other regions are left without real opportunities to learn basic skills and improve their lives, the consequences do not stay local. They manifest through increased migration, instability, higher costs for healthcare and social services, and growing pressure on international security and economic systems.
Europe and other developed countries often view education problems in the “third world” as distant and irrelevant. But reality is different. Low education quality and widespread functional illiteracy fuel poverty, which in turn becomes one of the main drivers of migration, informal economies, and social tension. Moreover, global supply chains, labor markets, and even health security are interconnected. When large parts of the world’s population remain outside productive and stable societies, it eventually affects even those who currently feel protected.
That is why building quality, accessible, and behavior-change-oriented education systems is not only a humanitarian act. It is also a rational strategy of self-preservation. By supporting projects like AprendeTO, people around the world — not just investors or governments — can directly participate in building alternative educational infrastructure. This kind of participation allows us to test and develop models capable of reaching those whom the traditional system has left behind.
12.ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE WILL TAKE EVERYONE’S JOBS
Yes — artificial intelligence is changing the job market faster than most education systems can adapt. The World Economic Forum estimates that by 2030, 59% of the global workforce will need reskilling or new skills. But that’s not an argument against the technology — it’s an argument for why accessible, practical reskilling infrastructure is urgently needed now, not in five years, and especially for people who’ve never had access to a formal retraining system. AprendeTO isn’t an attempt to stop this shift — it’s an attempt to make sure as many people as possible are ready for it.
Artificial Intelligence will take everyone's jobs! This statement is very popular right now, but it is exaggerated and largely misleading when we talk about the majority of the world’s population. Yes, artificial intelligence and automation will replace many jobs — especially those involving routine tasks, data processing, and mid-level cognitive skills. However, we need to ask: who will replace the people who bake bread, cut hair, build houses, take care of children, repair cars, or provide basic services?
The answer is simple: for a very long time, no one will.
Modern robots and advanced automation systems require high-quality infrastructure — stable electricity, internet, precise production facilities, qualified maintenance, and a safe environment. In the majority of countries around the world, especially in Latin America, Africa, and parts of Asia, this kind of infrastructure will not exist in the next 30–50 years. Moreover, there are many jobs that require physical presence, flexibility, empathy, and the ability to respond to unexpected situations — exactly the kind of work that robots will not be able to perform at a competitive cost in the near future.
In reality, artificial intelligence and automation will pose the greatest threat to the middle class in developed countries. Meanwhile, the billions of people living with low incomes and poorly developed infrastructure will continue to need practical, real-life skills for decades to come. They will need to know how to build, repair, cook, sell, care for others, and provide services — jobs that artificial intelligence will not replace in the coming decades due to simple technical and infrastructural limitations.
That is exactly why a project like AprendeTO is not in conflict with the age of automation. It is designed for those people who, even 20–30 years from now, will still be performing the kinds of work that robots and artificial intelligence will not be able to take over for quite some time due to basic technical and infrastructure constraints. If we ignore this majority of the world’s population and focus only on retraining highly qualified specialists, we will create an even deeper divide between those protected by technology and those left outside of it.
Artificial intelligence will not change the fact that billions of people will still have to live and work in the real, physical world. The question is only whether they will have the skills to do so effectively and with respect for themselves, for others, and for the environment we all share.
13.Oficial Data
This factual material (under the picture) demonstrates that low-quality education and insufficient public literacy are not abstract problems. Their consequences are visible across a broad chain of systemic risks: catastrophically weak learning outcomes, violence in schools and families, teenage pregnancy, child exploitation, public health and safety problems, environmental pollution, and a low culture of everyday responsibility that inevitably affects every area of life.
These problems cannot be solved only through bans, enforcement campaigns, or short-term public initiatives. They require long-term education across different social groups and age categories — children, teenagers, parents, teachers, employers, drivers, farmers, and local communities.
In this context, education is not merely a school issue; it is infrastructure for public safety, health, economic development, and human dignity.
Official source compilation on social, educational, environmental and safety problems in the Dominican Republic, the Caribbean and Latin America (under the picture)
1. Quality of education
DR: 92% of students do not reach the basic level in mathematics; 78% of children are in learning poverty.
2. Mobbing, bullying and violence at school
DR: 51% of children have left school because of violence by other students against them; 49% of students report at least one form of bullying; PISA 2022 - around 30% of students suffer from bullying several times a month.
3. Teenage pregnancy
DR: 53 births per 1,000 girls aged 15-19; 21% of young women became mothers before the age of 18; in public hospitals, at least 2 underage girls give birth per day (2025).
4. Child sexual abuse / commercial sexual exploitation
DR: 45% of adolescents in tourist municipalities know a child or adolescent who has had sexual relations with a foreigner for money; 29% of victims of sexual crimes are minors.
5. Violence against children and adolescents
DR: 63.5% of children aged 1-14 experience violent disciplinary methods; 29% of victims of sexual crimes are minors, and these are only the cases that have been reported to the authorities.
6. Child exploitation / child labor
DR: 3.8% of children in labor according to ENHOGAR-MICS; 6.3% of children aged 5-14 work according to the U.S. DOL; 3,412 children were registered in street situations or in the worst forms of child labor in 2016-2022.
7. Street dogs, animal bites, rabies and violence against animals
DR: around 30,000 animal attacks per year; on average, around 82 attacks per day. According to data from various public organizations, between 3 and 5,000,000 animals live on the streets in the Dominican Republic, of which 80% are dogs.
8. Catastrophic road traffic situation
DR: 1 death every 3 hours on the roads of the Dominican Republic: 2,921 deaths in 2022; 27.5 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants; 1,670 deaths were in motorcycle accidents. Of approximately 3M vehicles registered in the country, only 10K drivers of vehicles on the road have a driver's license.
9. Fertilizers, pesticides and agrochemical use in agriculture
DR: In international tables based on FAOSTAT data, DR is listed at around 7.8 kg of pesticides per 1 ha of cropland, which is a high pesticide intensity indicator, especially compared with the FAO world average of around 2.4 kg/ha cropland; use of internationally banned agrochemicals has also been reported.
10. Environmental pollution
DR: In 2025, in only 2 beaches of Distrito Nacional (Playa de Guibia, Playa Montesinos), 40,336 pounds of waste were removed. DR has more than 200 beaches in total...
Official Data DR / LATAM
Official source compilation on social, educational, environmental and safety problems
in the Dominican Republic,
the Caribbean and Latin America
1. Quality of education
DR: 92% of students do not reach the basic level in mathematics; 78% of children are in learning poverty
Dominican Republic
DR main indicator: In the PISA 2022 test, only 8% of 15-year-old students in the Dominican Republic reached at least the basic level in mathematics, compared with 69% on average across the OECD; in reading, 25% of DR students reached the basic level, compared with 74% on average across the OECD; in science - 23% of DR students, compared with 76% on average across the OECD. This means that approximately 92% of students in DR do not reach the basic level in mathematics, 75% - in reading, and 77% - in science. The OECD PISA 2022 country profile confirms catastrophically low education quality in international comparison. Source: OECD - PISA 2022 Results, Dominican Republic. https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/pisa-2022-results-volume-i-and-ii-country-notes_ed6fbcc5-en/dominican-republic_18177a60-en.html
DR main indicator: The World Bank Learning Poverty Brief states that 78% of children in the Dominican Republic at late primary-school age are unable to read and understand a short age-appropriate text; this is 25 percentage points worse than the average for Latin America and the Caribbean and 45 percentage points worse than the average for upper-middle-income countries. This proves that the problem is not only school attendance, but specifically the collapse of learning outcomes. Source: World Bank - Dominican Republic Learning Poverty Brief. https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/099090524104010565/pdf/P1792091d7ec6d0dc1862e1466a6eeb0d13.pdf
DR main indicator: The World Bank states that 76% of DR students do not reach the minimum level of reading proficiency at the end of primary school, while 6% of primary-school-age children are not enrolled in school. At the same time, DR primary education expenditure per child is USD 4,227 PPP - 52% higher than the LAC average, which especially intensifies the problem: high spending does not produce corresponding results. Source: World Bank - Dominican Republic Learning Poverty Brief. https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/099090524104010565/pdf/P1792091d7ec6d0dc1862e1466a6eeb0d13.pdf
The Caribbean / Latin America
DR compared with the region: The IDB PISA 2022 analysis states that in Latin America and the Caribbean, 75% of students are low performers in mathematics, while in the Dominican Republic this indicator is even worse - approximately 92%. In the region, half of students do not reach basic reading skills, while DR is also among the weakest results in this area. Source: IDB - Latin America and the Caribbean in PISA 2022: How Many Students are Low Performers? https://publications.iadb.org/en/latin-america-and-caribbean-pisa-2022-how-many-students-are-low-performers
DR compared with the region: The IDB states that Latin America and the Caribbean in PISA 2022 mathematics, reading and science are in the lower half of the global education quality ranking, while the average student in the region lags behind OECD peers in mathematics by the equivalent of approximately five school years. DR is one of the most severe cases in this regional crisis. Source: IDB - Latin America and the Caribbean in PISA 2022: How did the Region Perform? https://publications.iadb.org/en/latin-america-and-caribbean-pisa-2022-how-did-region-perform
DR compared with the region: The IDB 2024 education report shows that the region's basic-skills crisis is systemic - 3 out of 4 students in the region do not have basic mathematics skills and 1 out of 2 students does not have basic reading skills. In the case of DR, these indicators are even more dramatic, because PISA data show approximately 92% low performance in mathematics. Source: IDB - The State of Education in Latin America and the Caribbean 2024. https://publications.iadb.org/publications/english/document/The-state-of-education-in-Latin-America-and-the-Caribbean-2024.pdf
2. Mobbing, bullying and violence at school
DR: 51% of children have left school because of violence by other students against them; 49% of students report at least one form of bullying; PISA 2022 - around 30% of students suffer from bullying several times a month
Dominican Republic
DR main indicator: The UNICEF Innocenti regional study on school violence in Latin America and the Caribbean states that in the Dominican Republic, 49% of sixth-grade students reported at least one form of bullying at school - this was the highest indicator among the countries included in the study, followed by Argentina with 48%. Source: UNICEF Innocenti - School-Related Violence in Latin America and the Caribbean. https://www.unicef.org/innocenti/media/5641/file/UNICEF-School-Related-Violence-Latin-America-Caribbean-2020.pdf
DR main indicator: OECD PISA 2022 shows that in the Dominican Republic, 29% of girls and 31% of boys reported that they suffer from bullying at least a few times a month; the OECD average was 20% for girls and 21% for boys. This means that DR students' experience of bullying is approximately one third higher than the OECD average. Source: OECD - PISA 2022 Results, Dominican Republic. https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/pisa-2022-results-volume-i-and-ii-country-notes_ed6fbcc5-en/dominican-republic_18177a60-en.html
DR main indicator: OECD PISA 2022 also shows that 13% of students in the Dominican Republic do not feel safe on the way to school, compared with 8% on average across the OECD; 9% do not feel safe in the classroom, compared with 7% on average across the OECD; 14% do not feel safe in other places at school, compared with 10% on average across the OECD. This shows that the school environment in DR is not only a problem of low learning quality, but also a safety problem. Source: OECD - PISA 2022 Results, Dominican Republic. https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/pisa-2022-results-volume-i-and-ii-country-notes_ed6fbcc5-en/dominican-republic_18177a60-en.html
The Caribbean / Latin America
DR compared with the region: The UNICEF Innocenti report states that in Latin America and the Caribbean, on average 40% of sixth-grade students reported at least one form of bullying at school, while in the Dominican Republic this indicator was 49%; therefore DR is above the regional average and was in the worst position in the study. Source: UNICEF Innocenti - School-Related Violence in Latin America and the Caribbean. https://www.unicef.org/innocenti/media/5641/file/UNICEF-School-Related-Violence-Latin-America-Caribbean-2020.pdf
DR compared with the region: The UNESCO report on school violence and bullying states that bullying directly affects learning outcomes, psychological health and safety at school; in the case of DR, this risk is especially significant because the country simultaneously shows very low PISA performance and high bullying experience. Source: UNESCO - Behind the numbers: ending school violence and bullying. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark%3A/48223/pf0000366483
DR compared with the region: The UNICEF/PAHO 2026 regional report on violence against children and adolescents includes bullying, cyberbullying, violent discipline, sexual violence and armed violence. This source shows that school violence in the region is not an isolated school issue, but part of a broader system of violence. Source: UNICEF / PAHO - Violence against Children and Adolescents in Latin America and the Caribbean. https://www.unicef.org/lac/en/media/53566/file/REPORT%20-%20Violence%20against%20Children%20and%20Adolescents.pdf
3. Teenage pregnancy
DR: 53 births per 1,000 girls aged 15-19; 21% of young women became mothers before the age of 18; in public hospitals, at least 2 underage girls give birth per day (2025).
Dominican Republic
DR main indicator: The World Bank Gender Data Portal states that in 2023, in the Dominican Republic, there were 52.8 births per 1,000 girls aged 15-19; the world average was 39.1. This means that the DR adolescent fertility rate is significantly above the world average and lies in the region's high-risk zone. Source: World Bank - Adolescent fertility rate, Dominican Republic. https://genderdata.worldbank.org/en/indicator/sp-ado-tfrt?geos=WLD_DOM&view=trend
DR main indicator: UNICEF's child protection section for the Dominican Republic states that 21% of young Dominican women became mothers before the age of 18; in the poorest quintile this indicator reaches 40%, while among young women without education - 55%. This shows that teenage pregnancy in DR is closely connected with poverty, school dropout and lack of education. Source: UNICEF Dominican Republic - Protección. https://www.unicef.org/dominicanrepublic/protecci%C3%B3n
DR main indicator: UNICEF states that 37% of young women in the Dominican Republic were married or in union before the age of 18 and 10% - before the age of 15; in the poorest quintile these indicators reach 59% and 23%, respectively. These figures directly connect early unions, teenage pregnancy and interruption of girls' education. Source: UNICEF Dominican Republic - Protección. https://www.unicef.org/dominicanrepublic/protecci%C3%B3n
The Caribbean / Latin America
DR compared with the region: A 2025 World Bank material states that Latin America and the Caribbean has the second highest teenage pregnancy level in the world - in 2022, 52 out of every 1,000 girls aged 15-19 gave birth, compared with the world average of 39. DR's 2023 indicator - 52.8 - practically coincides with the very high regional level. Source: World Bank - Addressing Teenage Pregnancy in Latin America and the Caribbean. https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/infographic/2025/03/26/addressing-teenage-pregnancy-in-latin-america-and-the-caribbean
DR compared with the region: UNFPA states that in Latin America and the Caribbean, around 1.6 million adolescents give birth every year, which means one early mother approximately every 20 seconds. DR's 52.8 births per 1,000 girls aged 15-19 fits into this high-risk regional profile. Source: UNFPA LAC - Adolescent pregnancy costs Latin America and the Caribbean. https://lac.unfpa.org/es/news/adolescent-pregnancy-cost-latin-america-caribbean
DR compared with the region: The UNFPA/PAHO/UNICEF policy document on adolescent pregnancy in Latin America and the Caribbean connects high indicators with social exclusion, limited access to sexual and reproductive health services, gender inequality and lack of education. DR is one of the examples where these factors are concentrated in one country. Source: UNFPA/PAHO/UNICEF - Adolescent Pregnancy in Latin America and the Caribbean. https://lac.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/pub-pdf/final_dec_10_approved_policy_brief_design_ch_adolescent.pdf
4. Child sexual abuse / commercial sexual exploitation
DR: 45% of adolescents in tourist municipalities know a child or adolescent who has had sexual relations with a foreigner for money; 29% of victims of sexual crimes are minors, and unofficial statistics indicate that the offense is not always reported to the authorities.
Dominican Republic
DR main indicator: UNICEF's child protection section for the Dominican Republic states that 45% of adolescents in tourist municipalities knew a child or adolescent who had had sexual relations with a foreigner in exchange for money. This is one of the most direct numerical indicators of the connection between child sexual exploitation and the tourism environment in DR. Source: UNICEF Dominican Republic - Protección. https://www.unicef.org/dominicanrepublic/protecci%C3%B3n
DR main indicator: UNICEF's child protection section for the Dominican Republic states that 29% of reported victims of sexual crimes are minors and one in 20 adolescent girls aged 15-19 reports a lifetime experience of sexual violence. These data show that sexual violence and the risks of child sexual abuse are a significant child protection problem in the country. Source: UNICEF Dominican Republic - Protección. https://www.unicef.org/dominicanrepublic/protecci%C3%B3n
DR main indicator: A 2023 UNICEF material states that the Dominican Republic joined the Americas Regional Action Group GARA as the 25th member state in order to prevent sexual exploitation of children and adolescents in the travel and tourism sector. The material also mentions that more than 80 hotels have joined the child protection code of conduct. Source: UNICEF Dominican Republic - RD entra a Grupo de Acción Regional de las Américas para la prevención de la explotación infantil en viajes y turismo. https://www.unicef.org/dominicanrepublic/comunicados-prensa/rd-entra-grupo-de-accion-regional-de-las-americas-para-prevenir-el-turismo
DR main indicator: The Dominican Republic Children's Rights Code Ley 136-03 legally defines the state's obligation to protect children and adolescents against exploitation, violence, abuse and other violations of rights. This source is the legal basis for describing commercial sexual exploitation of children as a violation of children's rights, not as "prostitution". Source: CONANI - Ley 136-03 Código para el Sistema de Protección y los Derechos Fundamentales de Niños, Niñas y Adolescentes. https://conani.gob.do/transparencia/index.php/marco-legal/baselegal-m/category/385-leyes?download=399%3Aley-136-03-codigo-para-el-sistema-de-proteccion-y-los-derechos-fundamentales-de-ninos-ninas-y-adolescentes-republica-dominicana
The Caribbean / Latin America
DR compared with the region: UNICEF material on the prevention of child sexual exploitation in the travel and tourism sector states that globally, approximately 1.8 million children suffer from sexual exploitation. DR's specific 45% indicator in tourist municipalities shows how this global risk materializes in the Caribbean tourism economy. Source: UNICEF - Government, civil society and private sector responses to the prevention of sexual exploitation of children in travel and tourism. https://www.unicef.org/media/66766/file/Prevention-of-SEC-in-travel-and-tourism.pdf
DR compared with the region: UNICEF Dominican Republic material mentions that the International Labour Organization estimates that 20% of international travel is connected with sexual purposes, and 3% of them are carried out by pedophiles. DR as a tourism country, with 45% of adolescents reporting knowledge of child sex with a foreigner for money, is especially vulnerable in this regional and global risk. Source: UNICEF Dominican Republic - RD entra a Grupo de Acción Regional de las Américas para la prevención de la explotación infantil en viajes y turismo. https://www.unicef.org/dominicanrepublic/comunicados-prensa/rd-entra-grupo-de-accion-regional-de-las-americas-para-prevenir-el-turismo
DR compared with the region: UNODC material on human trafficking and migrant smuggling in Latin America and the Caribbean provides broader context on exploitation, sexual exploitation, forced labor and migration risks. DR child sexual exploitation data in tourist municipalities should be viewed as part of this broader regional exploitation and human trafficking problem. Source: UNODC - Human trafficking and migrant smuggling in Latin America and the Caribbean. https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/frontpage/2024/September/how-widespread-are-human-trafficking-and-migrant-smuggling-in-latin-america-and-the-caribbean-and-other-questions-answered.html
DR compared with the region: UNICEF's 2025 material on child trafficking explains the structural risk factors that drive child exploitation: poverty, weak access to services, a weak child protection system, harmful social norms, gender inequality and transnational criminal networks. In the case of DR, these factors overlap with the tourism economy, teenage pregnancy, early unions and high levels of violence. Source: UNICEF - UNICEF's Action against Child Trafficking. https://www.unicef.org/media/172716/file/UNICEF%E2%80%99s%20Action%20against%20Child%20Trafficking.pdf
5. Violence against children and adolescents
DR: 63.5% of children aged 1-14 experience violent disciplinary methods; 29% of victims of sexual crimes are minors, and these are only the cases that have been reported to the authorities.
Dominican Republic
DR main indicator: UNICEF and ONE ENHOGAR-MICS 2019 data show that 63.5% of children aged 1 to 14 in the Dominican Republic have experienced violent disciplinary methods; in the group of children aged 3 to 4 this indicator reaches 70%. This proves the normalization of violence in the family and upbringing environment. Source: UNICEF Dominican Republic - El 63.5% de niños y niñas entre 1 y 14 años ha experimentado un método de disciplina violenta. https://www.unicef.org/dominicanrepublic/comunicados-prensa/el-63-de-ninos-y-ninas-entre-1-y-14-anos-ha-experimentado-un-metodo
DR main indicator: UNICEF's child protection section for the Dominican Republic states that 29% of reported victims of sexual crimes are minors, while one in 20 adolescent girls aged 15-19 reports that she has experienced sexual violence at some point in her life. This shows the severity of violence, sexual violence and child protection problems. Source: UNICEF Dominican Republic - Protección. https://www.unicef.org/dominicanrepublic/protecci%C3%B3n
DR main indicator: UNICEF's 2025 analysis on children and adolescents in the Dominican Republic summarizes violence risks: physical violence, sexual violence, violent discipline, early unions, teenage pregnancy, child labor and suicide risks. This is one of the main sources showing that violence against children in DR is systemic, not isolated cases. Source: UNICEF Dominican Republic - Análisis de la situación de niños, niñas y adolescentes ante la violencia en República Dominicana. https://www.unicef.org/dominicanrepublic/informes/analisis-de-la-situacion-de-ninos-ninas-y-adolescentes-ante-la-violencia-en-republica-dominicana
The Caribbean / Latin America
DR compared with the region: UNICEF's 2026 regional report states that in Latin America and the Caribbean, more than 6 out of 10 children and adolescents up to the age of 14 experience violent discipline. DR's indicator - 63.5% of children aged 1-14 - practically coincides with this very high regional level. Source: UNICEF / PAHO - Violence against Children and Adolescents in Latin America and the Caribbean. https://www.unicef.org/lac/en/media/53566/file/REPORT%20-%20Violence%20against%20Children%20and%20Adolescents.pdf
DR compared with the region: PAHO and UNICEF state that from 2015 to 2022 in Latin America and the Caribbean, 53,318 children and adolescents became victims of homicide. This shows that violence against children in the region is not only a family or school problem, but also a matter of lethal violence and the security system. Source: PAHO - Violence against children persists in Latin America and the Caribbean. https://www.paho.org/en/news/26-1-2026-violence-against-children-persists-latin-america-and-caribbean
DR compared with the region: UNICEF states that Latin America and the Caribbean has the highest child and adolescent homicide rate in the world - approximately four times above the global average - and homicide is the leading cause of death among adolescents. DR data on violent discipline, sexual crimes and early unions should be viewed in this broader regional context of violence. Source: UNICEF LAC - The impact of armed violence on children and adolescents. https://www.unicef.org/lac/en/armed-violence-impact-children-adolescents
6. Child exploitation / child labor
DR: 3.8% of children in labor according to ENHOGAR-MICS; 6.3% of children aged 5-14 work according to the U.S. DOL; 3,412 children were registered in street situations or in the worst forms of child labor in 2016-2022
Dominican Republic
DR main indicator: UNICEF Dominican Republic material, based on ENHOGAR-MICS 2019 data, states that child labor in the country decreased from 6.7% in 2014 to 3.8% in 2019, but the problem remains unequal: boys 4.6%, girls 3.0%, rural areas 4.9%, cities 3.4%, poorest quintile 8.9%. In addition, 16.8% of children who work do not attend school. Source: UNICEF Dominican Republic - Pese a baja en trabajo infantil, persisten brechas sociales. https://www.unicef.org/dominicanrepublic/comunicados-prensa/pese-baja-en-trabajo-infantil-38-en-rd-persisten-graves-brechas-sociales
DR main indicator: UNICEF states that from 2016 to 2022, in the Dominican Republic, 3,412 cases of children and adolescents in street situations or in the worst forms of child labor were registered; the most critical year was 2019, with 1,685 cases. This justifiably shows that this is not only about "helping the family", but also about severe forms of exploitation. Source: UNICEF Dominican Republic - Pese a baja en trabajo infantil, persisten brechas sociales. https://www.unicef.org/dominicanrepublic/comunicados-prensa/pese-baja-en-trabajo-infantil-38-en-rd-persisten-graves-brechas-sociales
DR main indicator: The U.S. Department of Labor's 2024 report states that 6.3% of children aged 5-14 in the Dominican Republic work, 96.4% attend school, while 9.2% of children aged 7-14 combine school with work. The report also states that children in DR are subjected to the worst forms of child labor, including commercial sexual exploitation and hazardous work in agriculture. Source: U.S. Department of Labor - Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor: Dominican Republic. https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/resources/reports/child-labor/dominican-republic
The Caribbean / Latin America
DR compared with the region: UNICEF states that in 2024, nearly 138 million children globally were subjected to child labor, of whom approximately 54 million performed hazardous work. DR indicators - 3.8% child labor according to ENHOGAR-MICS and 6.3% child labor among children aged 5-14 according to the U.S. DOL - should be viewed as part of a broader global and regional exploitation problem. Source: UNICEF Dominican Republic - Pese a baja en trabajo infantil, persisten brechas sociales. https://www.unicef.org/dominicanrepublic/comunicados-prensa/pese-baja-en-trabajo-infantil-38-en-rd-persisten-graves-brechas-sociales
DR compared with the region: The ILO and UNICEF 2024 global estimates of child labor make it possible to compare progress in Latin America and the Caribbean with other parts of the world. In the case of DR, child labor is especially concentrated in poverty, rural territories, street situations and hazardous forms of work. Source: ILO - 2024 Global Estimates of Child Labour in figures. https://www.ilo.org/resource/other/2024-global-estimates-child-labour-figures
DR compared with the region: UNICEF regional material on children's rights in Latin America and the Caribbean explains the connection between child labor, poverty, interruption of education and social inequality. DR data - especially 8.9% child labor in the poorest quintile and 16.8% of working children outside school - precisely match this model. Source: UNICEF LAC - Latin America and the Caribbean 30 years after the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. https://www.unicef.org/lac/media/8486/file/PDF%20Latin%20America%20and%20the%20Caribbean%2030%20years%20after%20the%20adoption%20of%20the%20Convention%20on%20the%20Rights%20of%20the%20Child.pdf
7. Street dogs, animal bites, rabies and violence against animals
DR: Around 30,000 animal attacks per year; 90% are related to dogs and cats; on average, around 82 attacks per day. According to data from various public organizations, between 3 and 5,000,000 animals live on the streets in the Dominican Republic, of which 80% are dogs.
Dominican Republic
DR main indicator: The protocol of the Ministry of Public Health of the Dominican Republic states that around 30,000 animal aggressions are reported in the country on average per year, and 90% of them are related to domestic animals - dogs and cats. This means around 82 animal attacks per day on average, which makes the problem of dogs and other uncontrolled animals a public health issue. Source: Ministerio de Salud Pública RD - Protocolo de prevención y atención a personas agredidas por animales transmisores de rabia. https://repositorio.msp.gob.do/bitstream/handle/123456789/1554/Protocolo%20de%20prevencion%20y%20atencion%20a%20personas%20agredidas%20por%20animales%20transmisores%20del%20virus%20de%20la%20rabia.pdf?isAllowed=y&sequence=1
DR main indicator: The Ministry of Public Health of the Dominican Republic states that in 2008-2010, 881 cases of animal rabies and 8 cases of human rabies were registered in the country; in 2011-2013, the number of animal rabies cases decreased to 353 and the number of human cases to 3. This confirms that the dog/bite/rabies issue is not only a welfare issue, but also a risk to human health. Source: Ministerio de Salud Pública RD - Protocolo de prevención y atención a personas agredidas por animales transmisores de rabia. https://repositorio.msp.gob.do/bitstream/handle/123456789/1554/Protocolo%20de%20prevencion%20y%20atencion%20a%20personas%20agredidas%20por%20animales%20transmisores%20del%20virus%20de%20la%20rabia.pdf?isAllowed=y&sequence=1
DR main indicator: The PAHO/WHO Dominican Republic office states in 2025 that the country commits to moving toward "Rabia Cero", or elimination of dog-mediated human rabies. This means that vaccination, surveillance and control of the dog population are recognized as a national public health priority. Source: PAHO/WHO - República Dominicana reafirma su compromiso hacia Rabia Cero. https://www.paho.org/es/noticias/6-6-2025-republica-dominicana-reafirma-su-compromiso-hacia-rabia-cero-foro-nacional
DR main indicator: The Attorney General's Office of the Dominican Republic explains Ley 248-12 on animal protection and responsible ownership, but the data on attacks and rabies risk show that legal regulation alone does not solve the problem of animal abandonment, uncontrolled ownership, violence and public safety. Source: Procuraduría General de la República - Ley de Protección Animal y Tenencia Responsable. https://pgr.gob.do/jean-rodriguez-inaugura-primer-centro-de-atencion-al-ciudadano-del-departamento-de-proteccion-animal-del-mp/
The Caribbean / Latin America
DR compared with the region: PAHO states that in the Americas, dog bites account for approximately 75% of animal aggression cases against humans, while the DR Ministry of Public Health reports around 30,000 animal aggression cases per year in the country. This shows that the DR problem fits into a broader regional public health risk. Source: PAHO - Rabies. https://www.paho.org/en/topics/rabies
DR compared with the region: The WOAH standard on dog population management defines the problem of stray and uncontrolled dogs as an issue of animal welfare, public health, safety and zoonosis control. DR's 30,000 animal aggression cases per year show how this international standard applies to a specific country. Source: WOAH - Dog Population Management, Terrestrial Animal Health Code Chapter 7.7. https://www.woah.org/fileadmin/Home/eng/Health_standards/tahc/2023/chapitre_aw_stray_dog.pdf
DR compared with the region: WOAH explains that humane dog population management is essential for control of dog-mediated rabies and at the same time improves animal welfare. DR's officially reported approximately 82 animal attacks per day show why such programs are not a secondary charity issue, but health and safety infrastructure. Source: WOAH - Integrating dog population management for effective rabies control. https://www.woah.org/en/document/integrating-dog-population-management-for-effective-rabies-control/
8. Catastrophic road traffic situation
DR: 1 death every 3 hours on the roads of the Dominican Republic: 2,921 deaths in 2022; 27.5 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants; 1,670 deaths were in motorcycle accidents. Of approximately 3M vehicles registered in the country, only 10K drivers of vehicles on the road have a driver's license.
Dominican Republic
DR main indicator: A Dominican Presidency publication, referring to official INTRANT and OPSEVI data, states that in 2022, 2,921 people died in road traffic accidents in the country; the mortality level was 27.5 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. Of the deaths, 1,670 were in motorcycle accidents. This confirms a catastrophically severe road safety situation. Source: Presidencia RD / INTRANT - Informe sobre siniestralidad vial. https://presidencia.gob.do/noticias/intrant-indica-informe-sobre-siniestralidad-refleja-bajas-en-muertes-por-accidentes-de
DR main indicator: INTRANT data show that in 2022, the number of deaths in traffic decreased by only 1.55% compared with 2021, while the number of injured increased by 11.2%. This means that even with a small decrease in deaths, the overall burden of crashes and injuries in the country increased. Source: Presidencia RD / INTRANT - Informe sobre siniestralidad vial. https://presidencia.gob.do/noticias/intrant-indica-informe-sobre-siniestralidad-refleja-bajas-en-muertes-por-accidentes-de
DR main indicator: UNITAR reports that in 2024 the President of the Dominican Republic, by decree, declared road safety a national priority and began the development of the National Road Safety Plan 2025-2030. This shows that the severity of the situation has been recognized at the level of state policy. Source: UNITAR - National Pact to Declare Road Safety as Top Priority in the Dominican Republic. https://unitar.org/about/news-stories/news/national-pact-declare-road-safety-top-priority-dominican-republic
The Caribbean / Latin America
DR compared with the region: PAHO's 2025 report states that in 2021, road traffic crashes in the Americas caused more than 145,000 deaths and more than 4 million non-fatal injuries. DR, with 27.5 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, is among the countries where road traffic mortality is especially severe. Source: PAHO - New PAHO Report on Road Safety Highlights Slow and Uneven Progress. https://www.paho.org/en/news/22-1-2025-new-paho-report-road-safety-highlights-slow-and-uneven-progress-reducing-traffic
DR compared with the region: PAHO states that among road traffic deaths in the Americas, 79% are men and 54% are young adults aged 18-44; motorcyclists accounted for 27% of deaths in 2021. DR data correspond to this regional risk because in 2022, 1,670 out of 2,921 traffic deaths were in motorcycle accidents. Source: PAHO - New PAHO Report on Road Safety Highlights Slow and Uneven Progress. https://www.paho.org/en/news/22-1-2025-new-paho-report-road-safety-highlights-slow-and-uneven-progress-reducing-traffic
DR compared with the region: The WHO global road safety report states that road traffic injuries are one of the main causes of death among children and young people aged 5 to 29. DR's high mortality level - 27.5 per 100,000 - makes this risk especially significant in the context of the safety of children, young people and families. Source: WHO - Global status report on road safety 2023. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240086517
9. Fertilizers, pesticides and agrochemical use in agriculture
DR: In international tables based on FAOSTAT data, the Dominican Republic is listed at around 8,985 tonnes of pesticide use and around 7.8 kg of pesticides per 1 ha of cropland, which is a high pesticide intensity indicator, especially compared with the FAO world average of around 2.4 kg/ha cropland. Use of internationally banned agrochemicals has also been reported.
FAOSTAT-derived table - Pesticide Use by Country. https://www.worldometers.info/food-agriculture/pesticides-by-country/
Dominican Republic
DR main indicator: In the World Bank environmental analysis of the Dominican Republic, it is stated that agriculture in the Ozama and Yuna watersheds accounts for approximately 35% of nitrogen pollution in water. The same document says that agricultural policy affects water pollution by promoting the use of agrochemicals, and that the use of internationally banned agrochemicals has also been reported. This is the strongest official basis that the DR problem is not only the quantity of pesticides, but the impact of agrochemicals on waters and environmental quality. Source: World Bank - Dominican Republic Environmental Priorities and Strategic Options. https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/297291468746721917/pdf/296270DO0Engli1ver0P07947801public1.pdf
DR main indicator: In Dominican sources citing the USAID PERSUAP study, it is stated that in the DR pesticide system there were 3,122 products registered or evaluated for import and use in the country; the study analyzed 425 active components. The source also states that in European countries, the list of usually permitted products is approximately 300-400 products, which shows a significant difference in the strictness of regulation and the scope of market control. Source: Diario Libre - Estudio USAID señala problemática del uso de pesticidas tóxicos en RD. https://www.diariolibre.com/actualidad/estudio-usaid-seala-problemtica-del-uso-de-pesticidas-txicos-en-rd-MPDL251519
DR main indicator: HOY material citing the USAID PERSUAP study states that 45% of pesticides used in the Dominican Republic were toxic; they included substances that harm human health and animals and that are banned or restricted in the context of the U.S. EPA and the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. The source also mentions substances such as aldrin, dieldrin, lindane, paraquat, methamidophos, carbofuran, endosulfan and chlorpyrifos. Source: HOY - Pesticidas usados en el país tienen sustancias que afectan la salud. https://hoy.com.do/el-pais/pesticidas-usados-en-el-pais-tienen-sustancias-que-afectan-la-salud_340275.html
DR main indicator: The World Bank's 2020 document on watershed management in the Dominican Republic directly states that runoff of pesticides, agrochemicals and manure into surface waters, as well as nitrogen leaching into groundwater, is a significant environmental risk. The document also provides for reducing and controlling pesticide use, promoting the use of organic fertilizers and preventing pesticide procurement within the project. Source: World Bank - Integrated Landscape Management in Dominican Republic Watersheds, Environmental and Social Review Summary. https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/747491607615284943/txt/Appraisal-Environmental-and-Social-Review-Summary-ESRS-Integrated-Landscape-Management-in-Dominican-Republic-Watersheds-P170848.txt
DR main indicator: Formal regulation exists in DR, but the available sources show a significant problem of control and transparency. The official system provides for registration of pesticides, risk assessment and lists of prohibited/restricted substances, yet sources citing the USAID PERSUAP study point to the availability of toxic pesticides, difficulties in accessing lists of registered substances and insufficient availability of information for farmers. Source: Ministerio de Agricultura RD - Registro de Productos Comerciales de Plaguicidas Agrícolas. https://agricultura.gob.do/servicios/registro-de-productos-comerciales-de-plaguicidas-agricolas/
Additional source: HOY - Pesticidas usados en el país tienen sustancias que afectan la salud. https://hoy.com.do/el-pais/pesticidas-usados-en-el-pais-tienen-sustancias-que-afectan-la-salud_340275.html
DR main indicator: In the review of Dominican phytosanitary regulation, it can be seen that the country has separate lists of banned and restricted pesticides. For example, the resolutions mention bans or restrictions on substances such as acephate, aldicarb, methamidophos, monocrotophos, omethoate, endosulfan, carbofuran, chlorpyrifos, diazinon, dimethoate, paraquat and other high-risk substances. This source is important because it shows: the problem is not a "complete absence of regulation", but the quality, transparency and practical implementation of regulation. Source: CEMAAGRI - Marco Regulatorio de los Fitosanitarios en República Dominicana. https://cemaagri.com.do/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/8.-MARCO-REGULATORIO-DE-LOS-FITOSANITARIOS-EN-REPUBLICA-DOMINICANA-.pdf
10. Environmental pollution
DR: In 2025, in only 2 beaches of Distrito Nacional (Playa de Guibia, Playa Montesinos), 40,336 pounds of waste were removed.
DR has more than 200 beaches in total...
Dominican Republic
DR main indicator: In the Dominican Republic Ministry of Environment's 2024 national beach, coast and riverbank clean-up campaign, 76 beaches, islets and coastal zones and 80 riverbanks were cleaned simultaneously. The collected waste was mainly single-use plastic and foam/polystyrene containers. This source directly confirms the problem of plastic and solid waste entering beaches, coasts and rivers. Source: Ministerio de Medio Ambiente RD - Jornada Nacional de Limpieza de Playas, Costas y Riberas de Ríos 2024. https://ambiente.gob.do/paino-henriquez-llama-a-crear-conciencia-de-lo-que-esta-pasando-con-el-manejo-de-los-residuos-solidos/
DR main indicator: The 2026 information from the Dominican Republic Ministry of Environment shows that in 2025, in the beaches of Distrito Nacional alone, 146 clean-ups were carried out, during which 40,336 pounds of waste were removed: 17,394 pounds of ordinary waste, 16,549 pounds of plastic, 4,525 pounds of foam and 1,868 pounds of other materials. This shows that the problem is not episodic, but systematic. Source: Ministerio de Medio Ambiente RD - Operativos permanentes de limpieza de playa. https://ambiente.gob.do/operativos-permanentes-de-limpieza-de-playa-contribuyen-a-la-conservacion-de-los-ecosistemas-costeros/
DR main indicator: The Dominican Republic Ministry of Environment has issued a resolution that prohibits leaving any objects, plastic, foam containers, single-use plastic products and other objects in rivers and water bodies that degrade water quality, landscape and ecosystems. This shows that dumping waste in rivers and water bodies is a sufficiently serious problem that it requires separate regulation. Source: Ministerio de Medio Ambiente RD - Resolución que prohíbe abandonar materiales en ríos. https://ambiente.gob.do/medio-ambiente-emite-resolucion-que-prohibe-colocar-o-abandonar-cualquier-tipo-de-materiales-o-estructuras-en-los-rios/
DR main indicator: A Dominican Presidency publication describes a nationwide waste collection campaign on more than 100 beaches and riverbanks. The source specifically mentions plastic bags, bottles, tires, cigarette filters, balloons, caps and straws - precisely the types of waste that visually pollute beaches, rivers, streets and the coast. Source: Presidencia RD - Jornada de recolección de residuos en más de 100 playas y riberas de ríos. https://presidencia.gob.do/noticias/gobierno-realiza-jornada-de-recoleccion-de-residuos-en-mas-de-100-playas-y-riberas-de-rios
The Caribbean / Latin America
DR compared with the region: UNEP states that about one third of all waste generated in cities in Latin America and the Caribbean ends up in open dumps or in the environment, polluting land, water and air. DR beach and river clean-up data fit into this broader regional waste management crisis. Source: UNEP - Waste Management Outlook for Latin America and the Caribbean. https://www.unep.org/ietc/resources/publication/waste-management-outlook-latin-america-and-caribbean
DR compared with the region: UNEP Caribbean Environment Programme states that in Latin America and the Caribbean, approximately 424,000 tonnes of waste are generated every day, and almost two thirds, or approximately 275,000 tonnes per day, end up in open dumps or local waterways. DR's problem with waste on beaches and in rivers is part of this regional systemic problem. Source: UNEP Caribbean Environment Programme - Solid Waste and Marine Litter. https://www.unep.org/cep/solid-waste-and-marine-litter
DR compared with the region: The World Bank report on marine pollution in the Caribbean states that in the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Jamaica, waste collection coverage is only 60-80%, while in households without collection service, waste is burned, dumped on land or in water bodies. DR is also among the countries with a large amount of uncollected municipal solid waste - 1,020,042 tonnes per year, including approximately 102,004 tonnes of plastic. Source: World Bank - Marine Pollution in the Caribbean: Not a Minute to Waste. https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/482391554225185720/pdf/Marine-Pollution-in-the-Caribbean-Not-a-Minute-to-Waste.pdf
DR compared with the region: The World Bank report states that in Caribbean coastal clean-ups, on average 2,014 waste items were found per kilometer of beaches and coastal zones. This figure helps regionally substantiate what DR sources show at the local level - beaches and the coast are massively polluted with solid waste. Source: World Bank - Marine Pollution in the Caribbean: Not a Minute to Waste. https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/482391554225185720/pdf/Marine-Pollution-in-the-Caribbean-Not-a-Minute-to-Waste.pdf
Verified source links
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https://genderdata.worldbank.org/en/indicator/sp-ado-tfrt?geos=WLD_DOM&view=trend
https://lac.unfpa.org/es/news/adolescent-pregnancy-cost-latin-america-caribbean
https://www.unicef.org/media/66766/file/Prevention-of-SEC-in-travel-and-tourism.pdf
https://www.unicef.org/lac/en/armed-violence-impact-children-adolescents
https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/resources/reports/child-labor/dominican-republic
https://www.ilo.org/resource/other/2024-global-estimates-child-labour-figures
https://www.woah.org/fileadmin/Home/eng/Health_standards/tahc/2023/chapitre_aw_stray_dog.pdf
https://www.woah.org/en/document/integrating-dog-population-management-for-effective-rabies-control/
https://www.worldometers.info/food-agriculture/pesticides-by-country/
https://agricultura.gob.do/servicios/registro-de-productos-comerciales-de-plaguicidas-agricolas/
https://www.unep.org/ietc/resources/publication/waste-management-outlook-latin-america-and-caribbean