2007 Trafficking in Persons Report - Center for Women Policy Studies

The Government of Costa Rica does not fully
comply with the minimum standards for the
elimination of trafficking; however, it is making
significant efforts to do so. In 2006, the government
took important steps to confront public complicity
with human trafficking in a high-profile case, and
increased trafficking prevention efforts nationwide.
In the coming year, the government should intensify
its efforts to investigate and prosecute trafficking
offenses, and to convict and sentence trafficking
offenders. The government also should work with
the legislature to pass necessary amendments to
prohibit all forms of trafficking, and provide greater
protection for victims.
Prosecution
The Government of Costa Rica showed limited
success in enforcement efforts against traffickers
during the reporting year. Costa Rica does not
prohibit all forms of trafficking in persons, although
Article 172 of its criminal code criminalizes transnational
trafficking and prescribes a punishment
of three to six years’ imprisonment for this offense.
Trafficking in minors is prohibited by Article 376,
and carries penalties of two to four years’ imprisonment.
However, Costa Rican law does not adequately
address the internal trafficking of adults, and while
current penalties are sufficiently stringent, they are
not commensurate with penalties prescribed for
other serious crimes, such as rape. However, the
government has proposed legislative reforms to
its anti-trafficking laws; the Costa Rican legislature
should make every effort to pass such changes this
year. During the reporting period, a variety of criminal
statutes were used against traffickers, but data on
trafficking convictions will not be available until later
this year. However, since August 2006, the judicial
police opened five investigations into international
trafficking organizations, and continued a number
of earlier investigations. In January 2007, authorities
arrested eight people in connection with a Chinese
organization suspected of trafficking people to Costa
Rica for labor exploitation; importantly, immigration
officials rebuffed attempts by this ring to bribe them,
instead cooperating with police in an undercover
sting operation to arrest the traffickers. Authorities
cooperated with neighboring countries, Interpol,
and U.S. counterparts on international trafficking
investigations. No complaints of trafficking-related
corruption were filed during the reporting period.
Protection
The Costa Rican government’s efforts to protect
trafficking victims remained limited during the
reporting year. There are no specialized shelters
for trafficking victims, although the government
did fund an NGO working with victims of sexual
exploitation. Protective services overall are severely
lacking, and there are no formal procedures for
identifying trafficking victims among vulnerable
populations, such as persons detained for prostitution
or immigration violations. The government did
not penalize victims for unlawful acts committed as
a direct result of being trafficked. However officials
treated some adult victims as illegal migrants and
deported them without taking steps to determine
if they were victims. Foreign nationals identified as
trafficking victims could be repatriated, or apply for
work permits or refugee status. Costa Rican authorities
encourage victims to assist in the investigation
and prosecution of their traffickers.
Prevention
The government made additional progress on
prevention activities during the reporting year.
President Arias condemned human trafficking
in public statements, and the government
acknowledges the serious nature of the problem.
Campaigns against child sex tourism continued, in
addition to television, radio, and billboard notices
designed to warn young women of the dangers of
commercial sexual exploitation. With international
assistance, the government launched a national
hotline in February 2007 for potential victims to
receive information about trafficking. The hotline
project is accompanied by a widespread TV and
radio campaign featuring Puerto Rican singer Ricky
Martin.
COTE D’IVOIRE (Tier 2)
Cote d’Ivoire is a source, transit, and destination
country for women and children trafficked for the
purposes of forced labor and commercial sexual
exploitation. Trafficking within the country is more
prevalent than international trafficking. Women and
girls are trafficked from northern rebel-controlled
areas to southern cities for domestic servitude,
restaurant labor, and sexual exploitation. Boys are
trafficked internally for agricultural and manual
labor. Transnationally, boys are trafficked from
Ghana, Mali and Burkina Faso for forced agricultural
labor; from Guinea for forced mining, from Togo
for forced construction labor, from Benin for forced
carpentry work, and from Ghana and Togo for forced
labor in the fishing industry. During the year, Ivorian
boys were also trafficked to Mali through false
promises of jobs in Europe as soccer players. Women
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