31 January 2025, Santo Domingo. The Dominican Republic has taken a bold step in the fight against cybercrime with the launch of its first-ever Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Alliance on Cybercrime. This landmark initiative brings together government, private sector, and civil society leaders to address the rising threat of Non-Consensual Intimate Images (NCII) and other cybercrime challenges.
The launch event, held in January this year in Santo Domingo, marked the beginning of a coordinated effort to improve awareness, prevention, and victim support related to NCII. The initiative follows months of comprehensive research conducted by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which identified gaps in national preparedness and outlined key recommendations for action.
The launch was attended by key stakeholders from Public Sector, Private Sector and Civil Society committed to these efforts including representatives from the Dominican Republic’s Prosecutor General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MIREX), and Presidential Office, Instituto Dominicano de las Telecomunicaciones (INDOTEL), Equipo Nacional de Respuesta a Incidentes de Seguridad Informática (National CSIRT), Centro de Investigación para la Acción Femenina (CIPAF), Microsoft, and the Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo (INTEC).
During the event, participants engaged in a review of the preliminary findings stemming from UNODC's needs assessment. This assessment brought to light several key areas requiring attention, notably a discernible lack of public awareness concerning the risks associated with NCII and effective prevention strategies. Furthermore, the findings underscored a significant need for enhancing victim services and establishing more accessible and efficient reporting mechanisms. Finally, the assessment highlighted the insufficient level of specialized training currently available to law enforcement and justice sector officials, hindering their capacity to effectively respond to and address NCII cases.
The recently formed Alliance has swiftly identified three crucial next steps to address the challenges of NCII. Firstly, it plans to implement comprehensive training programs specifically designed for law enforcement personnel, justice officials, and members of civil society, aiming to significantly enhance their capabilities in responding to these types of incidents. Secondly, the Alliance will launch nationwide public awareness campaigns to educate citizens about the inherent risks associated with NCII and provide them with practical guidance on how to safeguard themselves. Finally, the outlined steps include technological implementation, with a focus on introducing effective prevention tools such as StopNCII.org, which empowers users to proactively prevent the further dissemination of harmful content.
"This alliance is a crucial step toward ensuring safer digital spaces for everyone, especially women and marginalized groups who are most vulnerable to NCII," said Nayelly Loya, Head of the UNODC Global Programme of Cybercrime.
With strong commitment from stakeholders and a clear roadmap in place, the PPP Alliance is poised to make significant strides in protecting Dominicans from online exploitation and enhancing national cybersecurity.
