WASHINGTON.- Corruption in its security forces is the greatest threat to the respect for human rights in Dominican Republic, says a U.S. Government report disclosed today, which just two months after the quake in Haiti again lashes out at Santo Domingo for its alleged mistreatment of Haitians.

It denounces police corruption and its practices, from murders to cases of torture, discrimination and violence against Haitian women and immigrants, and the violation of the rights of their descendants born in the country.

The report affirms that law enforcement agencies were "implicated in many unwarranted murders" and "excesses in the use of force," but noted that there were more than 100 fewer deaths of this type than in the previous year, going from 455 to 346.

Although some observers agree in "improved conditions and professional training" the agents continue the "physical abuse of detainees," mainly beatings.

Among other human rights violations it lists the cruel conditions and violence in the prisons, where despite the creation of more jails, they’re still overcrowded.

Sexual crimes were another "serious and far reaching problem" but without documenting, just as domestic violence which between January and May last year led to the death of 41 women.

There are no policies to curtail the “evident" racial discrimination, which the Government denies, as it does with one against Haitian immigrants and their descendants, the report says.

In that regard, Washington stresses the negation of the rights of "stateless" children born in Dominican Republic of Haitian immigrants and which they cannot accede to the nationality because their parents, descendants without papers, cannot meet the requirements either.

In its view other abuses were the sexual exploitation of children, in a country where prostitution is legal and sexual tourism is widespread in resort zones, but without laws to regulate it and which threatens vulnerable groups.

The yearly document, which analyzes the world’s human rights situation and which is submitted to the U.S. Congress, summarizes the issued in many countries and again denounces institutional corruption.