Costa Rica Editorial – From time to time the Costa Rican Times receives and email from one of our readers that hits home and addresses an issue that needs to be spoken about and brought into the attention of lawmakers in this wonderful country. Child Molestation and sexual predators are one of those issues in Costa Rica.
I remember sitting at the bus stop in the mountains of Escazu waiting to go to work and each day a young girl about age 12 or 13 would pass in her school uniform with her belly growing in size each and every week. I always wondered how a 12 year old had gotten pregnant and thought to myself I bet it was not of her own free will.
The following is a story from one of our readers that is going through a court case right now. The names have been changed per Costa Rica law and the outcome of the trial. It is sometimes very graphic and should only be read by people over the age of 18. This story although sometimes a bit gruesome brings out some points about sexual predators in the land of Pura Vida. Although some foreign child molesters have been caught recently it is only after they have continued their sick behavior here in this country. There needs to be a change and this story brings up some valid points……
The name: la costa rica means “the rich coast” and was first applied by Christopher Columbus, during his final voyage to the eastern shores of Costa Rica in 1502, as he reported the presence of vast quantities of gold jewelry worn among the natives.
Costa Rica has natural treasures still to this day, like breathtaking landscapes, gorgeous beaches, incredible sunsets, intriguing wildlife, delicious exotic fruits, majestic volcanoes, and exuberant forests. These are only some of the beautiful things that Costaricans and foreign folks alike are able to enjoy on a daily basis. Costa Rica is a paradise, a rich coast in so many different ways.
Costa Rica is a beautiful, democratic paradise with abundant natural treasures and is populated by highly educated citizens. It is such a great blessing to be able to live here, yet… Costa Rica possesses one of the most primeval judicial systems in the modern world. The laws in Costa Rica protect the criminals more than it protects their victims.
Child molesters and sex offenders have the right to remain free from incarceration and enjoy the comfort of their home, while the victim and the families have to go through many different channels that are mandatory court processes to have the child rapists incarcerated (If they are ever incarcerated at all.)
Foreigners that have escaped from their various countries because they have been convicted of child molestation come to Costa Rica and do not register as the child rapists/sex offenders that they are, because Costa Rica does not register or expose sex offenders to the public.
On television news broadcasts, the criminal is provided either a towel or a jacket to cover their faces to protect their identity. What about the damage that he/she caused the victims? The public is unable to protect themselves from these criminals because they cannot be exposed, thanks to the ancient laws exercised throughout Costa Rica.
In one of Costa Rica’s asylum’s for abandoned children, little Andrea was found by a reporter. Little Andrea was raped by her biological father at the age of 7 months old, and then was abandoned at the hospital where she received the operation that saved her life.
The rape was so damaging that little Andrea is now a paraplegic, crippled for life.
The rapist was never sought out, or let alone imprisoned. Little Andrea’s mother never came forth to help her innocent angel either.
Little Andrea’s mother should be sought out as well due to the fact that she conspired in the worst crime ever committed, but they are out free, enjoying their life because Costa Rica’s judicial system allows this to happen.
The victim suffers for life if nothing is done to help the innocent and the child rapist will only move on to new victims to damage more lives, without repercussions.
This case also concerns me and it is currently pending review by the court in Costa Rica (I will notify you of the outcome IF there is a verdict.)
Carmen is a single mother of 3 young girls; Ana (9 years old), Nancy (6 years old) and baby Angel, (1 year and 6 months). Carmen needed to work to be able support her young girls financially. Carmen trusted her biological mother “grandma Solano” to care for her granddaughters. Grandpa Solano is retired so he was always at the house, drank beer and would access his computer throughout the entire day.
During the time that grandma Solano “cared” for her granddaughters; Ana began to run away from home, Nancy became very timid and angry , and baby Angel, suffered from unexplainable yeast infections, red rashes on her vagina, unexplained bruises on her face and legs, and head lesions even though, Carmen never exercised physical punishment on the girls.
Once the girls were able to speak of all the different occasions in which grandpa Solano raped them, the girls were also able to detail, how grandpa Solano would show them “naked people on his television and computer” (pornography) prior to sexually abusing them on numerous occasions. Grandpa Solano, threatened the girls on phone calls that he made from his home, telling the girls “not to say anything to mommy or daddy because they were bad and that they would be the ones to get a pow- pow” (slang Spanish for a spanking).
Baby Angel abhorred grandpa Solano’s computer room and simulated to her sisters how grandpa Solano (whom she calls papa) slapped her in the face and head (during the rape so that she wouldn’t cry, which now explains the head lesions and facial bruises,) Baby Angel would pray at night with a very limited vocabulary and would say “mommy no pow-pow.” This was the same threat that grandpa Solano used on baby Angel’s older siblings throughout the years when he raped them.
Carmen still unaware of the sexual abuse, found a pair of baby Angel’s underwear spotted with blood at grandma Solano and grandpa Solano’s home and demanded grandma Solano give her an explanation. Grandma Solano hurriedly entered the computer room to notify grandpa Solano, then baby Angel’s blood stained underwear could not be found. The next morning, grandpa Solano awaited for the trash collectors to make sure that the trash was taken to the local dump.
Sick freaks?
Because baby Angel is unable to verbally explain her horrible experience that she suffered at the hands of child rapists grandpa and grandma Solano to the psychologist, and because the forensic clinic does have much training on how to have the toddler relate the rape with either dolls or drawings or more advanced techniques, Baby Angel’s rape will never be justified by Costa Rica’s courts.
Grandpa Solano placed cameras throughout his home mainly in the bathroom and bedrooms where he could watch his little granddaughters/visitors, undress for shower or naptime. Not to mention any and all visitors that came through that house, and utilized the restroom, which was an additional treat for grandpa and Grandma Solano. If you have visited grandpa Solano’s home, he definitely has you on a compact disc for his and grandma Solano’s enjoyment while they are alone.
Monsters like these two freaks should be in a prison, right?
Grandpa Solano, resides near the public library that is visited by many unsuspecting children. If you visit grandpa Solano’s neighborhood, grandpa Solano takes walks with his supportive wife; grandma Solano. They visit the library often, they shop everywhere, converse with neighbors, go to casinos, they both attend public school gatherings as representatives for a popular Costarican political party and enjoy life like any normal couple does.
Due to the primitive judicial system in Costa Rica, grandpa Solano and grandma Solano can continue to find more victims, enjoy life, and not worry about a thing because even the local police cannot arrest them because it could be years before (IF) there is a conviction and an order to capture them.
Grandma Solano and grandpa Solano should be incarcerated while awaiting a trial to sentence them to prison for the horrific crime committed against innocent defenseless children; the rape of a baby and the two young girls. They should not be out in our communities
Since the case is still pending in the court, I cannot specify much further about even more horrific details, but once there is an outcome I will send it to my boss at The Costarican Times to be added to the edition once there is a trial (IF).
The judicial formalities are many and frustrating for the victim and their families.
Victims and their families are placed on long waiting lists for many procedures that are required and mandatory by the court, for the victims to complete.
Numerous physician/psychologist visits, endless court appointments with social workers are a requirement for the victims to attend to and all this is done at the victim and the victim’s family’s expense.
The victim is placed on a waiting list for a trial date that can sometimes take years to schedule. (IF)
Many Catholic nuns that I have interviewed, have attended too many of these trials where they have accompanied the young rape victims and their families for support. These nuns have watched over many, many years how the majority of these child rapists exit out of the court room like heroes, no matter how much physical, emotional and psychological damage the child rapist has caused the victims and their families.
The victim and their families exit the court room like liars that were only trying to hurt an innocent man.
Child rapists need to register for the sexual offenses committed, through our local police (Fuerza Publica) and be required by law to update any information pertaining to any changes made by the child rapist (address changes, new phone number, monthly updated photographs of the sexual predator, etc…)
Child rapists need to be exposed throughout all media communication. A website needs to be created that clearly exposes the faces and current addresses of these child rapists of locals and foreigners alike. These need to reach every community so that the people can be aware of whom these sexual predators are and we can all protect our little, innocent citizens.
Child rapists must be incarcerated as soon as the victims report the crimes.
The people that protect child rapists should be incarcerated also, for being a conspirator to the worst crime that anyone can commit; the rape of a young baby, a little child, robbing them forever of their innocence, causing psychological scars and permanent physical damage/pain for the rest of the rape victim’s life.
Judges, magistrates, judicial systems, Asamblea Legislativa (Congress), news/internet medias; we all need to make this Costa Rica a safer place for our defenseless children, our future.
Enough is enough. It is time that in Costa Rica such extremely primitive laws be updated so that they are to protect the victims, not the criminals. Time for you folks to get to work! That is what the tax payers/hard working people of Costa Rica pay you for.
This is also a call of urgency to our new elected president, Luis Guillermo Solis of the PAC that promised a change for our adored nation; our Costa Rica.
Let us hope that our defenseless young citizens, our future leaders, our little angels, our innocent victims that need all our protection and care right now, will be able to be protected by the PAC’s new political plans and that the ancient laws in Costa Rica will revolutionize for this new era so that it will benefit the victims NOT the criminals.
“If we do not open our eyes to our reality, then we will always live in a fantasy world and never find a solution.” I love my Costa Rica too much to watch it go to hell; I am doing something to change it. What are you doing?
Thank you so much for your time,
Fer C.R.
