Sunday 07 December
2008, San José, Costa
Rica
4.000 Foreign
Prostitutes Working In Costa Rica
Immigration Police
Uncovers Costa Rica
Bridge To US For African
Migrants
Costa Ricans Soon
To Get New Cedula
Christmas in Costa Rica
Shop, Shop, Shop Until
You Drop!
Summer Is Finally
Here. Maybe.
|
4.000 Foreign
Prostitutes Working In
Costa Rica
According to a report
published by the Spanish
language daily La Nacion,
the Policía de Migración
(immigraton police)
estimate some 4.000
foreign prostitutes
working in the country.
Costa Rican authorities
say that the majority of
the women are between 20
and 25 years of age and
mainly come from the
Dominican Republic,
Nicaragua and Colombia,
as well as some
"beautiful, trim, almost
like angels" from Russia
and Romania.
The majority of the "trabajadores
de sexo social" (sex
social workers) work in
downtown San José night
spots like night clubs
(strip clubs), massage
parlours and pick up
bars. A number of the
workers have taken to
work beach areas like
Jacó which is full of
foreign men looking for
a good time.
The estimate number is
extrapolated from
immigration police raids
that have taken place in
various downtown San
José and beach area bars
and clubs, where women
are known to exercise
the "older profession in
the world".
The difference,
according to immigration
officials, is that Ticas
(Costa Rican women) are
in the minority today
than the case in the
past.
Francisco Castaing,
director of the Policía
de Migración del
Ministerio de
Gobernación, was quoted
as saying that in every
place his officers
visit, there are
foreigners working the
trade, and that many do
not even flinch at the
sight of immigration
officials.
"They all appear to be
married", said Castaing,
which presents a problem
for immigration
officials as that a
marriage to a Costa
Rican national gives the
foreigner legal status,
even though immigration
officials can clearly
see that in the majority
the cases, they are
marriages of convenience
and solely for the
purpose of regulating
their migratory status.
According to immigration
police, some enter the
country on the pretext
of being tourists or
artists, although their
intention is otherwise.
While others are part of
an organized crime
network that brings the
women to Costa Rica to
work as prostitutes for
a time.
These organized crime
networks, which Castaing
says they are
investigating, offer the
women their legal status
by having a "spouse"
waiting for them when
they arrive, although
the two never actually
meet, as the marriage is
performed by a lawyer
who specializes in
marriages of
convenience.
The viceministra de
Seguridad Pública, Ana
Durán, said that police
officials are being
trained to fight against
this type of activity,
but refused to provide
details on the
situation. |
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