Migration Jurisprudence from the South › Dominican Republic
Yean and Bosico Girls v. Dominican Republic
Inter-American Court of Human Rights · Dominican Republic · 2005-09-08 · Regional court or body
Citation: Series C No. 130
Type of case: Constitutional and human rights
Outcome: Decided for the migrant side
Question
Could the State refuse to register the births of two girls born in the Dominican Republic to families of Haitian descent?
What the court decided
No. The refusal was discriminatory and left the girls stateless; a parent’s migratory status cannot be passed on to children.
In plain language
Two girls born in the Dominican Republic to families of Haitian descent were refused birth certificates, leaving them without any nationality. The Inter-American Court said this was discrimination and that children do not inherit their parents’ migration status.
Dalam bahasa sederhana
Dua anak perempuan yang lahir di Republik Dominika dari keluarga keturunan Haiti ditolak akta kelahirannya, sehingga tidak punya kewarganegaraan. Pengadilan HAM Antar-Amerika menyatakan ini diskriminasi dan anak tidak mewarisi status migrasi orang tuanya.
Pertanyaan: Bolehkah negara menolak mencatat kelahiran dua anak perempuan yang lahir di Republik Dominika dari keluarga keturunan Haiti?
What happened afterwards
- 2005-09-08: Violations found.
- 2013-09-23: Dominican Constitutional Court rules the other way for a wider group (TC/0168/13).
Sources
Open this decision in the interactive collection (compare, filter, Indonesian view, downloads).
Cite as: Institute for Migrant Rights (2026), Migration Jurisprudence from the South, version 0.1, https://theimr.org/court-decisions/d/yean-bosico-2005/. This page summarizes a court decision for research and advocacy; it is not legal advice.