A Costa Rican-American citizen, who worked until July in the Costa Rican Mission to the Organization of American States (OAS), has reported a colleague for alleged sexual harassment.
She also claims that the Chancellery and the Foreign Service of Costa Rica ignored her complaint. According to the woman, authorities are aware of her case since last March because the complaint was sent to Chancellor Manuel González, as well as Vice Chancellor and Director of Foreign Service Xinia Vargas Mora.
Due to Costa Rica’s lack of actions, the lady will file a formal complaint to the Justice of the United States.
It all started in October 2015. At that time the alleged suspect, a Colombian-American citizen who works at the diplomatic mission, visited the complainant’s house after offering his help with her move.
Being already inside the house, she narrates that he approached her and gave her an invading and abusive hug, and told her: “why don’t we lie in bed and rest for a while?” Nothing else happened that day.
However, the victim states that the harassment did not stop until February, 2016, when she dared to denounce the situation.
According to Mónica Sandí, lawyer at the National Institute of Women (INAMU), authorities’ non-response, as the victim denounces, represents a violation to the Sexual Harassment Law, which states that in cases of a complaint of its kind, the employer must establish an internal procedure that can’t exceed 3 months from the moment the complaint is filed.