Chapter 1 Introduction | 27 19. 20. 21. Roberto Álvarez, Olivo Rodríguez Huerta, Noemí Méndez, Guillermo Sterling, Ricardo Rojas León, Natanael Santana and Genaro Rincón, and with journalists and academics and researchers from Dominican universities. The work done by individuals and organizations is vital to promoting and protecting human rights and to building an egalitarian and discrimination-free society in the Dominican Republic. That being the case, the Commission would like to extend a special thanks to Dominican civil society organizations, human rights defenders, attorneys, journalists, and academics. The Commission is also grateful for all the cooperation it received from multiple civil society organizations as it organized and carried out its visit to the Dominican Republic. The Commission is also thankful for all the reports it received from them before, during, and after the visit. The Commission also met with United Nations agencies in the Dominican Republic, which included representatives from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UN Women, UNAIDS, the International Labor Organization (ILO), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). Also participating in these meetings were representatives of other intergovernmental organizations, such as the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the World Bank. During the visit, part of the Commission’s delegation was posted at reception tables where it received persons coming to provide information on alleged human rights violations. On December 2, 3 and 5, these reception tables were located in the Professors Club at the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD). On December 4, the Commission’s delegation divided into three groups that headed south, north, and east in the Dominican Republic and received information and testimony at the following sites: 1) in the southern part of the country, complaints were received in Boca de Cachón, Jimaní, Independencia province, at Batey 6, municipality of Tamayo, Bahoruco province; 2) in the north, complaints were taken in Dajabón, Dajabón province, and in Batey Libertad, Mao, Valverde province; and 3) to the east, complaints were received near Batey Don Juan, municipality of Consuelo, San Pedro de Macorís province, and in Guaymate, La Romana province. Inter-American Commission on Human Rights | IACHR