In Costa Rica, a sex crime is reported every 80 minutes; more than 40% are crimes against minors
April 1st, 2015 (InsideCostaRica.com) An average of eighteen people report a sex crime each day in Costa Rica – an average of once every 80 minutes – and in more than 40% of those reported crimes, the victim is a minor, according to a special report on sex crime in Costa Rica prepared and published by Amelia Rueda last month.
Of an annual average of 6,537 reported sex crimes, 2,664 reports involve a victim under the age of 18 (note, however, that Costa Rica’s age of consent is 15 years of age; with the exception of prostitution, those in charge of the care of the minor, or cases involving the corruption or coercion of a minor – for example, by providing alcohol to someone underage as part of gaining their consent, taking advantage of a minor who may be vulnerable due to poverty, and many other circumstances.)
In more than 98% of reported cases of sexual assault of a minor, the perpetrator is male. What may be surprising, however, is that when categorized into 5-year age brackets, the largest segment of perpetrators accused of sexual assault on a minor fall in the 60 to 65 age range (18%).
Worse still, the vast majority of sex crimes go unreported, according to experts. Some victims feel ashamed. Many victims do not want to face their perpetrator in a courtroom.
Even amongst those who do press charges against their perpetrator, such cases can sometimes take up to five years to reach trial.
And when cases do reach trial, the odds are against the victim – more than half of those accused of sexual assault are acquitted. Those with the worst odds of receiving justice are women who are the victims of spousal rape – more than 80% of defendants in such cases are acquitted.
Click here to read Amelia Rueda’s full report. (Spanish only)
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