Child Abuse in Costa Rica

In 1821 The Costa Rican Judiciary, El Poder Judicial was created. The Costa Rican legal system works in a similar way to the Romano-Germanic style of law and the Judiciary continues today. The state also takes on the stance of investigator and uses various natural sciences to decipher the reasoning behind the crime. This method of law is growing from strength to strength and is proving to work for the state as they see a rise in victims coming forward and a decrease in certain sectors of crime. Over the last 15 years Costa Rica has united with many official bodies to help combat Domestic Violence, Human Rights and Child Abuse.

Various research has been done to try and ascertain what causes Child Abuse in the state and although Child Abuse Awareness has risen and many more cases are being reported it has not decreased the issue. The state is dedicated to this cause however with limited comparisons to work with this is a difficult task. In succeeding in raising this awareness however; many children in Costa Rica have been saved from further suffering although many more still need their escape and our support. In many cases Child Abuse is not an isolated cases, it can be a series of different events which occur throughout a child’s life damaging their growth and development into adulthood permanently.

In Costa Rica, One particular company recognized a worldwide problem with commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) and dealt with it by ensuring that only certified hotels are used for their holiday packages, all staff are trained to deal with any situation regarding CSEC and preventing children from entering the hotels. Due to this one recognition it has raised awareness in other countries saving countless children from this type of suffering.

Costa Rican laws are committed to child safety and work with various official bodies to combat this. They work with The International society for the prevention of Child Abuse and neglect and the following statement is clearly defined for all countries involved in this program. They state that “Child Abuse or maltreatment constitutes all forms of physical and/or emotional ill-treatment, sexual abuse, neglect or negligent treatment or commercial or other exploitation, resulting in actual or potential harm to the child’s health, survival, development or dignity in the context of a relationship or responsibility, trust or power.

Costa Rican law is diligent in its attempt to stop Child Abuse from continuing in any form. Working alongside World Health Organization and many other organizations and official bodies they focus on finding out the cause of this crime and dealing with the criminals justly. There are two focused areas of crime in Costa Rica, “delito’s” and “felonies”. Felonies are the more serious of the two due to the greater threat or actual harm they can do. Many crimes are listed under this label such as drug trafficking, property damage, breach of national security, sex crimes, crimes of violence and crimes against human rights. As child abuse is primarily listed under human rights it carries a severe penalty of ten to sixteen years imprisonment.