Colombian
Militaries to Visit
The National Association of Public and Private
Employees (ANEP) says that Tuesday a group of 40
Colombian military will enter Costa Rica for an
advance training course.
Albino Vargas, secretary general for the
organization, said that he doubts that the
Colombians are here to receive training from the
Costa Rican police.
Howver, Minister of Public Security, Rogelio
Ramos, affirms that the visit comprises part of
a course that the group will use to increase
it's rank and is visiting several Central
American countries.
Casa Alianza
Asks For Help to Protect Children
Three
Children Murdeded- 20 IN 6 MONTHS
A
sole gunman murdered three children in the
tourist location of Puerto Escondido in Golfito,
Costa Rica last week.
These
three murders bring to a total of 32 the murders
of children and youth under the age of 23 in
Costa Rica so far this year, of which 20 (62%)
were children (under the age of 18). Costa Rica,
with a total population of 4 million people, has
been in turmoil these past few weeks as a result
of increasing levels of violence against
children.
The
three most recent victims were Kevin Solis, 4
years old; Francisco Mena Fallas, 15; and Steven
Vargas Mora, 16. Soli's father is in critical
condition after fighting with the attacker.
According to initial reports, all were shot
through the head. Fifty six percent of the
murders of children and youth in Costa Rica were
carried out with firearms, a lower percentage
than in other Central American countries.
Earlier
this month, Casa Alianza successfully completed
a campaign to collect one million signatures in
Costa Rica to insist that the National Assembly
approve stricter laws to protect children. At
present the sentence for stealing a car is 15
years in jail whereas the sentence for stealing
a child is just two years. The campaign
collected 1.4 million signatures in just seven
days, something that has never been done before.
The President of the country was elected with
723,000 votes.
In
the first 6 months of 2003, 373 children and
youth under the age of 23 were murdered in
Guatemala City (population two million) of whom
55 (15%) were under the age of 18; in Honduras
(population 5.5 million) a total of 343 children
and youth under the age of 23 were murdered, of
whom 123 (36%) were children.
"The
difference between the murders of children and
youth in Costa Rica as compared with murders in
Guatemala and Honduras is firstly that there are
less of them but more children (0-18) are
victims rather than youth (18-23); secondly, the
authorities are generally not involved in the
murders and finally there is a much higher level
of investigation and conviction of those
responsible in Costa Rica", said Bruce
Harris, Regional Director of Casa Alianza in
Latin America. "But the pain and loss felt
by the family members is the same. Sadly one has
come to expect murders of children and youth in
countries like Guatemala, Honduras and El
Salvador, but this was not the case with Costa
Rica. Times have changed".
PLEASE
write to the President of the National Assembly
of Costa Rica, Mario Redondo, asking that the
Assembly place priority on the reforming of the
laws to protect children in Costa Rica. At
present a person can be sentenced to 15 years in
jail for stealing a car and just two years for
stealing a child…
[email protected]
You
can also send a fax to +506-243-2198 or
+506-223-4042. To send a FREE fax to Costa Rica,
please visit <www.nacion.com/cgi/fax>
For
more information, please contact Casa Alianza at
+506-253-5439 or [email protected]
Progress Is
Reported in CAFTA Talks
The U.S. official who is leading negotiations for a free-trade agreement with five Central American countries said progress was made during talks in New Orleans this week, and she expressed confidence that a proposal could be presented to Congress by early next year.
Assistant U.S. Trade Representative Regina Vargo offered few details about the closed-door proceedings held here over the last six days. The United States is seeking an accord with Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua,
Costa Rica and El Salvador (news - web sites) that would end tariffs and other trade barriers, much as the North American Free Trade Agreement did for the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Negotiators hammered out significant points related to customs administration and e-commerce, Vargo said, and plan to tackle some of the thornier issues in the next round of talks, set for Sept. 15-19 in Managua, Nicaragua.
"I think there is a lot of work ahead, but we have made good progress," said Anabel Gonzalez, chief negotiator for Costa Rica.
Vargo, the U.S. negotiator, indicated that sensitive areas of the agreement still to be dealt with include textiles and the enforcement and strengthening of labor and environmental protection laws in Central America.
Any congressional vote on the Central American Free Trade Agreement, known as CAFTA, could be tight, U.S. Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., warned this week. Enforcement of labor and environmental laws in Central America would be a top concern for many lawmakers, he said.
|
