Court Again Rejects Domestic Violence Bill
FOR the fourth time, theConstitutional Chamber of the SupremeCourt (Sala IV) has declared parts of aproposed bill penalizing domestic violenceagainst women as unconstitutional.The controversial bill would penalizewith jail psychological and physical violencetoward women.Most recently, it was approved by theLegislative Assembly in first debate inDecember (TT, Dec. 17, 2004). This timearound, representatives of women’s groupsand legislator Gloria Valerín, of the SocialChristian Unity Party (PUSC), said theywere confident the law was close tobecoming a reality.However, on Feb. 24 the Sala IVdeclared Article 3 of the bill unconstitutional.Gabriela Zúñiga, of the FeministCenter for Action and Information(CEFEMINA) told The Tico Times she isvery angry because group members havere-worked the bill on the previous occasionsit was found unconstitutional.“Article 3 has always been a polemicarticle regarding relationships of powerand trust between men and women.However, with the help of legislatorFernando Cruz, we have modified it severaltimes. At the moment we do not knowwhy the Sala IV declared the articleunconstitutional,” Zúñiga said.
You may be interested

Costa Rica stresses protocols as cases, hospitalizations increase
Alejandro Zúñiga - April 13, 2021Health Minister Daniel Salas on Monday warned of rising coronavirus cases and hospitalizations in Costa Rica, and he reminded Ticos…

Super Tuesday: Costa Rican soccer stars to feature today
The Tico Times - April 13, 2021It's a big day for lovers of Costa Rican soccer. At 1 p.m. CST, goalkeeper Keylor Navas and PSG will…

Businessman Guillermo Lasso wins Ecuadorian election, vows to change ‘destiny’
Hector Velasco / AFP - April 12, 2021Former banker Guillermo Lasso pledged to change crisis-wracked Ecuador's "destiny" after overcoming leftist economist Andres Arauz in the country's presidential…