January 18, 2026
The death by drowning of Stephora Anne-Mircie Joseph, an 11-year-old Haitian schoolgirl, sparked a peaceful demonstration at the Ouanaminthe border post on December 11, 2025. Protesters demanded a full investigation into the circumstances of this tragedy, which occurred during a school outing.
The demonstration took place under the supervision of Haitian law enforcement to ensure calm, as the victim’s family continues to call for justice and transparency. According to the prosecution, the circumstances surrounding the tragedy reveal a series of serious failures.
Prosecutors notably accuse four officials of the Leonardo Da Vinci School in Santiago of extreme negligence and lack of supervision. Their failures are all the more glaring given that the pool where the child drowned was not properly marked.
Investigations indicate that around 9:44 a.m., Stephora unknowingly moved into a deep area of the pool before vainly waving her arms to call for help. Her body remained submerged for approximately thirty minutes before being noticed by another student, which finally led to her being pulled from the water.
The Dominican justice system took action against the accused the day before the demonstration, imposing bail and judicial supervision on three of them. A fourth, Gisela Altagracia de las Mercedes González, was released without any coercive measures.
