Serious case of gender-based violence reported: mother fears for her life and that of her son
Laura Mercedes Rodríguez Báez has raised her voice to denounce a critical situation of insecurity she is facing after being the victim of constant physical assaults, harassment, and death threats from her ex-partner, identified as Frank Nicolás de los Santos Berroa. The woman, who shares a five-month-old son with her aggressor, claims to live in a state of constant anxiety since their relationship ended two months ago.
According to the victim’s testimony, since the separation, the man has maintained a pattern of constant stalking, resulting in the destruction of her personal belongings and direct threats against her physical integrity. The most violent episode occurred on August 22nd, when the subject, after finding her at the residence of an acquaintance, violently snatched the baby from her arms.
I fear for my life.
Laura Mercedes Rodríguez Báez
The situation escalated to alarming levels when, while attempting to retrieve her son, Rodríguez Báez was the victim of a brutal physical attack. The complainant reports that the aggressor knocked her down, attempted to strangle her, and assaulted her with a bottle, causing injuries that required seven stitches to her head. Furthermore, the woman alleges that the man went as far as slamming the baby against the floor multiple times during the altercation.
Urgent intervention from authorities demanded
Despite having a restraining order and having filed various complaints with the Public Prosecutor’s Office, Rodríguez Báez expresses her deep frustration at the lack of an effective response to guarantee her protection. The victim makes a desperate call to the authorities to act promptly before the case leads to a fatal outcome.
Overview of gender-based violence in the Dominican Republic
This case adds to a worrying national statistic. Alofoke Deportes highlights that, during the first semester of 2025, the Dominican justice system received a total of 28,376 complaints related to gender-based and domestic violence.
- Gender-Based Violence: 10,253 complaints were registered, broken down into 3,746 cases of physical violence and 6,507 of a verbal or psychological nature.
- Domestic Violence: 18,123 complaints were recorded, with 6,948 physical incidents and 11,175 verbal or psychological ones.
The data, provided by the Attorney General’s Office, underscores that psychological and verbal violence represent one of the most frequent forms of abuse in the country. Given this landscape, institutions such as the Ministry of Women and the National System of Information on Gender-Based Violence (SINAVIG) continue to work on monitoring and following up on these social issues that severely affect the Dominican family fabric.
