Dominican Republic

A former Spanish colony, the Dominican Republic shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, a former French colony. According to most recent estimates (2017), approximately 28% of the population are non-religious, while 47.8% identify as Roman Catholic and 21.3% as Protestant.[ref]https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/dominican-republic/#people-and-society[/ref]

Use of Conscientious Objection clauses resulting in the denial of lawful services to women and LGBTI+ people
Religious or ideological instruction is mandatory in all or most state-funded schools with no secular or humanist alternative
Insufficient information or detail not included in this report
Insufficient information or detail not included in this report

Countries: Kazakhstan

The state is secular, with separation of religious and political authorities, not discriminating against any religion or belief
Insufficient information or detail not included in this report
No fundamental restrictions on freedom of expression or advocacy of humanist values
Insufficient information or detail not included in this report

Countries: no countries relate to this boundary condition

No condition holds in this strand
No condition holds in this strand

Countries: Andorra

No condition holds in this strand
Religious courts or tribunals rule directly on some family or ‘moral’ matters; it is legally an opt-in system, but the possibility of social coercion is very clear
No condition holds in this strand

Countries: no countries relate to this boundary condition

Localised or infrequent but recurring and widespread social marginalisation or prejudice against the non-religious

This condition is unusual in that it is applied in cases where there is some social discrimination, but it is not pervasive or nationwide. This condition is applied when there is sufficient background evidence to warrant the assertion that discrimination is not anomalous but widespread, and this condition may be applied for example even where if there is no legislative discrimination or where the non-religious may have legal recourse against such discrimination. However, societal discrimination (i.e. discrimination by peers, as opposed to state or legal discrimination) is not easily measured, and for this reason the Report does not currently have similar more severe boundary conditions to capture higher levels of social discrimination per se. In principle these may be introduced in future. However, we consider that countries with actual higher levels of social discrimination against the non-religious will generally already meet other higher level (more severe) boundary conditions under this thematic strand.

The dominant influence of religion in public life undermines the right to equality and/or non-discrimination

Applied when the influence of religion on public life undermines others’ rights, such as SRHR, women’s rights, LGBTI+ rights.

May be applied when the influence is overt (i.e. when religious laws are applied to undermine others’ rights) or covert (i.e. where religious pressure groups exert influence to affect policy)

The non-religious are persecuted socially or there are prohibitive social taboos against atheism, humanism or secularism
Complete tyranny precludes all freedoms of expression and thought, religion or belief

Applied when overriding acts of oppression by the State are extreme, to the extent that the question of freedom of thought and expression is almost redundant, because all human rights and freedoms are quashed by authorities.

Countries: North Korea

Expression of core Humanist principles on democracy, freedom and human rights is brutally repressed
Expression of non-religious views is severely persecuted, or is rendered almost impossible by severe social stigma, or is highly likely to be met with hatred or violence
There is significant social marginalisation of the non-religious or stigma associated with expressing atheism, humanism or secularism
Religious or ideological indoctrination is utterly pervasive in schools
There is a nominal state church with few privileges or progress is being made toward disestablishment

Countries: Bulgaria, Norway, Peru, Rwanda

The non-religious are barred from some government offices (including posts reserved for particular religions or sects)
‘Apostasy’ is outlawed and punishable with a prison sentence

Countries: Bahrain, Comoros, Jordan, Kuwait

‘Apostasy’ or conversion from a specific religion is outlawed and punishable by death
Some religious courts rule in civil or family matters on a coercive or discriminatory basis
Religious authorities have supreme authority over the state

Countries: Iran

State legislation is partly derived from religious law or by religious authorities
Preferential treatment is given to a religion or religion in general

This condition is applied where there are miscellaneous indicators that organs of the state offer various forms of support for a religion, or to religion in general over non-religious worldviews, suggesting a preference for those beliefs, or that the organs of that religion are privileged.

There is a pattern of impunity or collusion in violence by non-state actors against the nonreligious
State-funded schools provide religious education which may be nominally comprehensive but is substantively biased or borderline confessional
Religious or ideological instruction in a significant number of schools is of a coercive fundamentalist or extremist variety

This condition highlights countries where schools subject children to fundamentalist religious instruction with no real opportunity to question fundamentalist tenets, or where lessons routinely encourage hatred (for example religious or ethnic hatred). The wording “significant number of schools” is not given a rigid quantification (sometimes the worst-offending schools are unregistered, illegal, or otherwise uncounted); however the condition is not applied in cases where only a small number of schools meet the description and may be anomalous, as opposed to being indicative of a widespread problem.

State legislation is largely or entirely derived from religious law or by religious authorities
Anomalous discrimination by local or provincial authorities, or overseas territories
Religious or ideological instruction is mandatory in at least some public schools (without secular or humanist alternatives)
‘Blasphemy’ or criticism of religion is outlawed and punishable by death
Government figures or state agencies openly marginalize, harass, or incite hatred or violence against the non-religious
Government authorities push a socially conservative, religiously or ideologically inspired agenda, without regard to the rights of those with progressive views
It is illegal to advocate secularism or church-state separation, or such advocacy is suppressed
Prohibitive interreligious social control (including interreligious marriage bans)
Quasi-divine veneration of a ruling elite is enforced, or a single-party regime holds uncontested power, subject to severe punishment
Legal or constitutional provisions exclude non-religious views from freedom of belief
It is illegal to register an explicitly Humanist, atheist, secularist or other non-religious NGO or other human rights organization, or such groups are persecuted by authorities
There is a religious tax or tithing which is compulsory, or which is state-administered and discriminates by precluding non-religious groups
The non-religious are barred from holding government office
Some concerns about children's right to specifically religious freedom

This condition may apply if specifically religious education, religious materials, or specific religious denominations are so tightly controlled that children are in fact over-protected from exposure to religion and are likely unable to explore or construct their own worldview in accordance with their evolving capacities. This condition helps us to classify states (perhaps with secular constitutions) which have criminalized specifically religious beliefs or practices. This condition is not applied if the restricted beliefs or practices are found to be outlawed due to their being of an extremist variety. While this condition does not directly reflect discrimination against non-religious persons or non-religious ideas, it does represent an overall threat to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief; such restrictions could spill over to affect non-religious beliefs later; and they pose a risk of backlash against over-zealous secular authorities or even against non-religious individuals by association.

It is illegal or unrecognised to identify as an atheist or as non-religious
It is made difficult to register or operate an explicitly Humanist, atheist, secularist or other non-religious NGO or other human rights organization
 
Severe Discrimination
Systemic Discrimination

Constitution and government

The Constitution[ref]https://republica-dominicana.justia.com/nacionales/constitucion-de-la-republica-dominicana/ (in Spanish); https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Dominican_Republic_2015.pdf[/ref] and other laws and policies generally protect the right to freedom of religion or belief. The Constitution provides for freedom of religion and belief limited only by “public order and respect for social norms” (Article 45). The Constitution also defines the national motto as: “God, Country, Liberty” (Article 34). The national coat of arms carries at its center a bible open to the Gospel of Saint John, chapter 8, verse 32.

Members of parliament are required to take an oath of office, there is no provision for an affirmation under the Constitution.

While the Constitution does not specify a State church, a concordat with the Vatican, however, designates Catholicism as the official religion.[ref]https://www.concordatwatch.eu/dominican-republic–s891; https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/secretariat_state/archivio/documents/rc_seg-st_19540616_concordato-dominicana_sp.html (In Spanish)[/ref] The concordat extends special privileges to the Catholic Church not granted to other religious groups. These include the legal recognition of church law, the use of public funds to underwrite some church expenses, and exclusion from customs duties. Non-Catholic religious groups must first register as a non-governmental organization before receiving such benefits.

The law provides for government recognition of marriages performed by all religious groups on condition they otherwise comply with related regulations.

Education and children’s rights

In 2019, the government passed a resolution calling for the enforcement of Law 44-00,[ref]https://laicismo.org/wp-content/uploads/2000/03/ley-de-lectura-biblia-en-las-escuelas-Republica-Dominicana.pdf[/ref] which requires daily Bible reading and Bible study at least once per week in all public and private schools.[ref]https://www.bibliatodo.com/NoticiasCristianas/aprueban-ley-para-leer-la-biblia-diariamente-en-las-escuelas-de-republica-dominicana/[/ref] However, the Ministry of Education does not appear to have complied with the resolution to date.[ref]https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/dominican-republic/[/ref] Under the 1954 concordat, the Catholic Church has permission to provide Catholic instruction in public orphanages and “ensure the practise of its precepts.”[ref]Article XIX (3), https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/secretariat_state/archivio/documents/rc_seg-st_19540616_concordato-dominicana_sp.html[/ref]

Family, community and society

Discrimination against women

According to Amnesty International, women – who face discrimination on “multiple and intersecting grounds”, including in terms of poverty and transgender identity – “continued to experience discrimination in accessing formal employment and many continued to sell sex as their primary method of income.” The government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a considerable drop in their income[ref]https://www.amnesty.org/en/countries/americas/dominican-republic/report-dominican-republic/[/ref] exacerbated by the barriers to access of government schemes to compensate those out of work.

The police are reported to routinely use rape as a means of punishment of sex workers, according to Amnesty International.[ref]https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2019/03/dominican-republic-police-routinely-rape-torture-women-sex-workers/[/ref]

Sexual Health and Reproductive Rights

Abortion remains illegal in the country, including in instances where the pregnancy poses a risk to the life of a pregnant woman or girl, in cases of foetal impairments, or where the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest.[ref]Article 317, Penal Code, online: https://www.oas.org/dil/esp/C%C3%B3digo%20Penal%20de%20la%20Rep%C3%BAblica%20Dominicana.pdf; https://www.hrw.org/es/news/2021/04/22/republica-dominicana-es-hora-de-poner-fin-la-prohibicion-total-del-aborto[/ref]

Legislators have debated revising the penal code for decades,[ref]https://www.hrw.org/report/2018/11/19/its-your-decision-its-your-life/total-criminalization-abortion-dominican-republic[/ref] with religious and conservative pressure groups lobbying hard against any attempts at reform. In 2014, former President Danilo Medina attempted to pass an amendment of the penal code which would allow for the decriminalization of abortion in limited circumstances. After three religious anti-choice groups appealed, the Constitutional Court declared the amendment to be ‘unconstitutional’. [ref]https://www.amnesty.org/fr/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/AMR2765732017ENGLISH.pdf; https://www.reuters.com/article/us-dominicanrepublic-abortion-idUSKBN2BB1L8[/ref]

Freedom of expression, advocacy of humanist values

The right to freedom of expression is guaranteed by law, and media outlets carry diverse political views. Journalists reporting on possible links between the drugs trade and officials have faced intimidation, and some have been killed.[ref]ttps://freedomhouse.org/country/dominican-republic/freedom-world/2021[/ref] Criminal defamation laws remain on the statute books and are enforced.[ref]https://cpj.org/reports/2016/03/the-caribbean/[/ref]

According to Freedom House, the rights to freedom of assembly and association are generally upheld. However, the authorities have been known to use violence to disperse protests.[ref]https://freedomhouse.org/country/dominican-republic/freedom-world/2021[/ref] In its attempts to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, the police are reported to have opted to use detention as a first resort to enforce its curfew, often using unnecessary force and failing to take preventative measures to stop the spread of the virus.[ref]https://www.amnesty.org/en/countries/americas/dominican-republic/report-dominican-republic/[/ref]