Santo Domingo.- Several agencies led by the Justice Ministry on Friday rescued 13 children during a sweep through the caves that riddle the capital’s seaside avenue, El Malecon .
Jonathan Baro, the Special Prosecutor for Immigrant Smuggling and Trafficking, headed the operation to rescue 12 boys and one girl who were camped unaccompanied in the caves.
The children had been constantly exposed to sexual exploitation, drugs, alcohol and other crimes in that underworld, where they waged turf wars among themselves.
"The initiative forms part of the Justice Ministry’s efforts to help this vulnerable population. Our children and adolescents should be in an environment that allows their healthy development and growth and not on the streets exposed to all kinds of inhuman situations," Baro said.