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| Costa Rica / |
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Protect started working in the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica in mid-2008 by following and investigating suspected child sex offenders. A team of investigators watches and follows suspected offenders in order to put together evidence of abuse. They also gather information on the identity and history of those under investigation, as well as interviewing possible victims.
With 4.4 million inhabitants, Costa Rica is one of the highest ranking Latin American countries on the UN's Human Development Index, after Argentina, Chile and Uruguay. It is one of America's most solid democracies and is politically stable, despite the economic and social difficulties of recent decades. In 1948, it was given recognition for being the first country to abolish its army.
The majority of Costa Rica's inhabitants live in the Central Valley and are descendents of the indigenous population and Europeans. There is a significant number of communities of Nicaraguan economic migrants and Colombian political exiles. In recent years there has been a flow of immigration from other South American countries, Europe and Asia.
The country is ranked fifth in the world on the environmental performance index and is ranked first for competitiveness in tourism in Latin America. In 2007 it received 1.7 million foreign visitors. The tourism industry brings the most money into the Costa Rican economy, worth 1.9 billion dollars per year.
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A large number of foreigners have moved to this country, attracted by the political stability, good climate and an alternative lifestyle. Many others come in search of sex. According to the local newspaper La Nación, some 130 websites include Costa Rica as a destination for sex tourism, in the hotels of the capital and the tourist areas of the Pacific coast.
The majority of international tourists looking for sex come from the United States, Canada, Japan, Italy, China and other South American countries. Representatives of NGOs in Costa Rica have observed a big increase in sex offenders coming from Spain, the rest of Europe and Asia, which was not the case five years ago. Although most adverts for this type of tourism do not mention minors, some sites give details of where an adult can find children and teenagers.
In many cases, the foreigners that sexually abuse minors are armed with information on how to evade the law. They know the most efficient ways to escape possible prosecution or complaints about their activity.
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Until a few years ago, the victims of sexual abuse could generally be found in the streets of tourist areas or in San Jose, the capital, working under the orders of a pimp. This is becoming less frequent due to campaigns for prevention, the strengthening of laws, and greater awareness of the problem. First contact or meetings take place elsewhere, circumventing the public or police control.
Intermediaries or local pimps are involved in this process, but also taxi drivers, travel agents, hotel and bar staff may help the abusers find what they are seeking. Studies agree that young girls and teenagers are the most affected. Most of them are lured by sexual predators at around 12 years old and come from poor homes. In many cases they are also victims of child abuse and incest.
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| SOCIETY AND GOVERNMENT |
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In 2001, Costa Rica introduced an Immediate Plan of Action against the Sexual and Commercial Exploitation of Children and Adolescents, but its application was delayed by a lack of resources and institutional policies.
According to ECPAT (an international network against child sex exploitation) there are several examples of effective coordination and cooperation between key players in the fight against this crime in Costa Rica, but nearly all deal with prevention, highlighting the lack of support for victims. Despite the problem being recognized and taking a high position on the agenda of public debate, the response of civil society and the government to address it fully and effectively are still disjointed.
It was stressed that there is increased recognition that girls, boys and teenagers are victims and not offenders, eliminating labels such as "corrupt minor", "honest woman" (see legal framework).
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Costa Rica has explicit judicial legislation covering the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (ESCI) in Law 7,899 from 1999 against the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of minors, reforming the Penal Code.
It sets the punishment for paying to have sexual relations with minors as a 4 to 10-year jail term if the child is less than 12 years old, a 3 to 8-year jail term if the child is between 12 and 15 years old, and a 2-6-year jail term if the minor is between 15 and 18 years old. This law also stipulates other crimes such as the commerce of persons, making or producing pornography using those under 18 years old, the distribution of pornography to minors, and sexual assault, among others. It also eliminates sexist and stigmatizing phrases that turn the victim into the guilty party, such as "honest woman" and "corrupt minor".
Furthermore, on an international level, in 2002 Costa Rica ratified the UN's Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child which addresses the sale of children, child prostitution and the use of children in pornography. This protocol recommends that States Parties establish measures to ban the sale of children, their prostitution, and their use in pornography. The country has also ratified and signed the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child, which sets out the rights of the child, reinforcing the need to provide them with care and special assistance according to their vulnerability.
In addition, Costa Rica has signed and ratified the International Labor Organization's Convention 182, on the worst forms of child labor and the immediate action to eliminate it. This convention considers that the traffic and sexual exploitation of children and adolescents are practices akin to slavery, and calls for all member countries to define urgent and immediate measures to secure its prohibition and eradication.
Similarly, Costa Rica's concern about eradicating the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children led to the creation in 1997 of the National Commission against the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents (CONACOES), made up of 22 public and private institutions.
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