The President of Costa Rica, Rodrigo Chaves Robles, signed the decree to create the National Strategy to Combat Sexual Harassment against Women.
The initiative was presented under the name “Rutade Género” (Gender Route) and is composed of five parts:
- A communication strategy
- A technology tool
- Assistance mechanisms
- Complaint centers
- Legal framework of the plan
“With this decree, we are launching this great project for a fairer Costa Rica. It’s the first step on the road we are building to reaffirm our first commitment when we took office: to eliminate discrimination and harassment against women in all areas of our country,” said the president.
The organization of the Gender Route was led by the Second Vice President of the Republic, Dr. Mary Munive Angermüller, in coordination with the Minister for the Status of Women, Cindy Quesada Hernández, and the National Women’s Institute (INAMU), the entity in charge of executing and monitoring the implementation of the policy.
“The 9-1-1 Emergency System alert application and the ‘Purple Points’ are also available to women so that they can have support and attention in the complaint process,” the government explained.
The presentation of the Gender Route took place in a ¨TedTalk¨ type event at the F-5 auditorium of the Costa Rican Fire Department in Santo Domingo de Heredia with the participation of members of the diplomatic corps, deputies of the Republic, mayors, and representatives of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO’s).
“This National Strategy has been an effort of co-construction of many actors that allow us to have a route to combat harassment against women.
It seeks to generate better access to justice through legal support and gives us the possibility of protection and information in the event of sexual violence through the participation of society, community, and private sector,” explained a government official.
It’s important to highlight that the project is possible thanks to a public-private partnership with companies of the Costa Rican Union of Chambers and Business Associations of the Private Sector (UCCAEP).
“UCCAEP, as co-leader of the Gender Parity Initiative, believes that it is impossible to prosper as a sector and as a country without considering the role played by women in the business and national environment; therefore, the generation of spaces for women free of sexual harassment,” emphasized Maritza Hernández, Vice President of the Union and co-leader of the Gender Parity Initiative (IPG).
The GPI is a high-level public-private partnership that seeks to increase the number of women in the workforce and leadership positions and close the wage gap. Currently, it’s being supported by Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Agence Française.
