The Citizen Action Party (PAC) launched an offensive for the Congress to pass a legal reform that seeks to punish improper relationships between adults and minors.
Emilia Molina, legislator from PAC and promoter of the initiative, acknowledged that the issue was seen as a priority last Thursday at the meeting between the heads of the parliamentary groups and the president of the Legislative Assembly, Antonio Álvarez.
Experts from different institutions involved with the issue were in favor of the proposal that would punish an adult with up to 4 years in prison for having consensual sex with someone older than 15 years old and younger than 18 years old, if there is a 5-year-gap between their ages.
The proposal also prohibits the marriage of adults with underage people.
Molina said they will ask the specialists to visit legislators who opposed the proposal to convince them of supporting the project to reform several articles of the Criminal Code, amending and repealing others from the Family Code, the Civil Code, the Organic Law of the Supreme Court of elections and the Civil Registry.
The legislator argued that the difference of 5 years, which is the point of contention, is based on scientific evidence and criteria of the National Children’s Hospital, the Paniamor Foundation and the prosecution, institutions that believe such relationships are abusive because of differences in power and maturity between the parties.
The woman added that legislator Ligia Fallas, from Frente Amplio, agreed to withdraw motions to the text and being at the gates to start the discussion, although she admitted that the Libertarian Movement, which strongly opposes the reform, will probably use all resources to prevent the legislative approval.
Fallas confirmed that she withdrew motions seeking to reduce the 5-year gap to 3 years, because she believes there is a very strong power of one party over the other in those relationships.
I support the project because such marriages only conceal rape and pregnancies,”
said Fallas.
Otto Guevara, head of the libertarian bloc, indicated that they’ll continue opposing the reform because, in his opinion, it would have a devastating effect on thousands of affective relationships of young adults with people aged between 15 and 18.
It is also important to consider that this crime prescribes 4 years after being commited, which could lead to emotional blackmail due to the ending of a relationship years after the date the consensual sexual encounters started,”
said Guevara.
Several liberationist and Social Christians have reservations about the reform because they believe that the penalty is excessive.
Maureen Clarke, head of the “verdiblancos”, supports the project, but admitted that her faction’s position is not homogeneous.
Those who agree must vote and those who do not agree, don’t have to. Society will find a way to reproach for it,”
said Clarke.
Her counterpart from PUSC, Gerardo Vargas Rojas, admitted that his bank doubts the project has enough political environment for approval, but said they are ready to vote another initiative from the liberationist Lorelly Trejos, which only prohibits marriage between adults and minors.
According to Paniamor, 74.5% of adolescents between 12 and 19 who are or were in said relationship is not part of the educational system and 88.3% of them do not work.
In Costa Rica, 75.3% of babies born to 12-to-14-year-old mothers are the product of the union with man at least 5 years older.