Sovereignty and Social Justice: The Haitian Problem In the Dominican Republic

THE ISSUE OF DOMINICAN SOVEREIGNTY with regard to the rights of those of Haitian parentage seeking to secure Dominican nationality came to the fore recently in the case of Haitian rights activist Sonia Pierre. The Dominican Central Electoral Board produced evidence that Pierre’s parents obtained citizenship for their daughter, born on a sugar plantation in the Dominican Republic in 1963, by irregular means – that is, with forged documents. Legislator Vinicio A. Castillo Seman invoked the United Nations Assembly Resolution 869 IX General Assembly of 4 December 1975, Article 8, to the effect that the revocation of nationality can be justified in the cases in which it is proven that citizenship was obtained through fraud or false statements. Pierre, argued Castillo Seman, would not remain stateless as a result of the revocation, insofar as the Haitian constitution guarantees Haitian nationality to children of Haitian parents regardless of the place of birth. Confirming or consolidating Pierre’s claim to Dominican nationality, he asserted, would set a dangerous precedent of jus soli, or citizenship based on the territory of birth, for all Haitians seeking to obtain Dominican citizenship through similar channels

Sovereignty and Social Justice: The "Haitian Problem" In the Dominican Republic

THE ISSUE OF DOMINICAN SOVEREIGNTY with regard to the rights of those of Haitian parentage seeking to secure Dominican nationality came to the fore recently in the case of Haitian rights activist Sonia Pierre. The Dominican Central Electoral Board produced evidence that Pierre’s parents obtained citizenship for their daughter, born on a sugar plantation in the Dominican Republic in 1963, by irregular means – that is, with forged documents. Legislator Vinicio A. Castillo Seman invoked the United Nations Assembly Resolution 869 IX General Assembly of 4 December 1975, Article 8, to the effect that the revocation of nationality can be justified in the cases in which it is proven that citizenship was obtained through fraud or false statements. Pierre, argued Castillo Seman, would not remain stateless as a result of the revocation, insofar as the Haitian constitution guarantees Haitian nationality to children of Haitian parents regardless of the place of birth. Confirming or consolidating Pierre’s claim to Dominican nationality, he asserted, would set a dangerous precedent of jus soli, or citizenship based on the territory of birth, for all Haitians seeking to obtain Dominican citizenship through similar channels.This is an article from Caribbean Quarterly 57 (2011): 92. Posted with permission.</p

Religiosity and Adolescents\u27 Involvement with Both Drugs and Sex

Previous research has shown that religion reduces adolescents’ risk of substance use, while having little impact on sexual risk-taking. However, few studies have examined how religion might mitigate adolescents’ involvement with both drugs and sex. Using the Child Development Supplement (CDS) in combination with the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID), we fill this gap by determining how adolescents’ involvement with both drugs and sex is related to religiosity. We find the statistically significant relationship between religiosity and adolescents’ involvement in both risk behaviors is accounted for by school attachment, but the relationship between religiosity and drugs is robust

Adolescent Obesity: A Barrier to Mate Selection?

The obesity epidemic is a barrier to the participation of adolescents in developmentally normative behaviors associated with mate selection, such as dating. Notably, the obesity stigma has important implications for the socioemotional development of adolescents in the realms of intimacy and peer acceptance, as well as for their future chances of marriage and healthy relationships

Counseling College Women: The Interplay of Psychological Development, Social Factors, Alcohol, and Sexual Risk-Taking

This article examines how traditional college-age women adjust to the campus environment, including alcohol usage and sexual risk-taking, from a developmental/feminist perspective. Interpersonal adjustment, alcohol usage, and sexual risk-taking are explored, with consideration for physical and psychosocial consequences. Recommendations for counseling, including an illustrative case example, are provided