One way this concern has been expressed is through the enactment of the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2003 (TVPRA), which amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000.

Among other things, the TVPRA strengthens the tools U.S. law enforcement authorities use to prosecute traffickers and enhances assistance to victims of trafficking. It also requires the Department of State to scrutinize more closely the efforts of governments to prosecute traffickers as well as evaluate whether our international partners have achieved appreciable progress over the past year in eliminating trafficking in persons."

Costa Rica is mainly a destination and transit country for women and children trafficked for sexual exploitation.

Victims are internally trafficked from San Jose to coastal and border communities in the provinces of Limon, Puntarenas, and Guanacaste. Victims are trafficked to Costa Rica from Nicaragua, Colombia, Panama, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, the Philippines, Russia, and Eastern Europe.

Although most foreign victims remain in Costa Rica, traffickers also attempt to transport them onward to the U.S. and Canada.

The report released by the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons
provided detailed information and the efforts of the different nations to combat the trafficking of persons. (Click here for the country list)

Costa Ricans migrate illegally to the U.S. and Canada; authorities believe some may be trafficked. In 2003, authorities discovered two Costa Rican women in Japan who had been trafficked there.

The Government of Costa Rica does not fully comply with minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so.

Costa Rica needs to create institutional links between its increasingly effective law enforcement efforts against traffickers and social services to victims. As a regional leader, Costa Rica is positioned to play a strong role in developing mechanisms to gather and share intelligence on trafficking in Central America and the Caribbean.

Costa Rica’s law enforcement strategy is based on interagency collaboration between special units of the Public Ministry, Ministry of Public Security and Judicial Investigative Police. While these units were augmented in 2003, their important work remains hampered by resource constraints.

According to government data, in 2003, authorities made 14 trafficking-related arrests. All of those arrested were detained on charges of child sexual exploitation.

Of the 14, authorities placed six offenders in pretrial custody, prosecutors charged seven defendants, and the courts sentenced one defendant. Costa Rica is considering new legislation to improve its anti-trafficking laws. These improvements should address all forms of trafficking, including internal trafficking.

The government has a victim protection policy, but it may be unevenly applied.

Officials assist Costa Rican victims, but shelter space is too limited to accommodate all the victims. Authorities claim that foreign victims are recognized and may be given legal status to help prosecute their traffickers; otherwise, they are repatriated home. Some observers claim that foreign victims are deported as illegal migrants.

The Costa Rican Government recognizes that trafficking is a serious problem.

It's national plan on commercial sexual exploitation was updated in 2003, but more aggressive government action is needed.

Limited by resources, current government prevention measures are scattered and consist mainly of occasional public statements, radio programming, and social programs that target vulnerable groups. Borders remain porous and are a subject of continuing concern.