Port-au-Prince prosecutor targets presence of minors in clubs and hotels
Prosecutors say weekend raids aim to prevent the sexual exploitation of minors in the capital's nightlife venues.
The public prosecutor's office of Port-au-Prince has announced a strengthening of its interventions against the presence of minors in the capital's nightclubs and hotels, according to Le Nouvelliste. The government commissioner attached to the court of first instance of Port-au-Prince, Me Jean Fritz Patterson Dorval, said he has set up a weekend duty roster ('une permanence') to carry out raids on these establishments. According to Dorval, the objective is to prevent the sexual exploitation of minors, among other concerns. The prosecutor's office framed the measure as a reinforcement of existing efforts to protect minors in the capital. Le Nouvelliste, which reported the announcement, did not provide additional details on the number of establishments targeted, penalties for operators, or results from any operations conducted to date. Further specifics from the prosecutor's office were not immediately available in the published report.