Prostitution in Costa Rica is legal. Costa Rica's legal system is based on Roman law rather than common law, and so for prostitution to be illegal it would have to be explicitly stated as such in a penal code, and it is not. Nevertheless, many of the activities surrounding it are illegal,[1] as the law forbids promoting or facilitating the prostitution of another, and therefore pimping, brothels, or prostitution rings are illegal.[2][3][4] Prostitution is common and is practiced openly throughout the country, particularly in popular tourism destinations.[5][6][7][8]
The large growth in sex tourism prompted the Government of Costa Rica to introduce a voluntary[9] registration scheme for prostitutes.[10] Prostitutes who register with the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CCSS) carry an ID card and are entitled to a free health check every 15 days,[11] as well as being able to receive support and assistance.[10] There are estimated to be 15,000 prostitutes in the country.[12] Many of them are from Colombia, Nicaragua, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic,[10] and other Latin American countries.[9]
There is a red-light district in the capital, San José, known as Gringo Gulch.[11]
Sex trafficking,[13] child prostitution[14] and HIV[15] are problems in the country.
^Asamblea Legislativa de la República de Costa Rica. "Código Penal, Ley No. 4573 de 1970 y reformas hasta 26 de febrero de 2002" (PDF) (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 March 2007.see SECCIÓN III: Corrupción, proxenetismo, rufianería (Articles 167 to 172).
^"Promoción de la prostitución: Unos 130 sitios de internet promueven el turismo sexual de Costa Rica" (in Spanish). LaFlecha.net. 7 December 2004. Archived from the original on 13 May 2007. Retrieved 17 March 2007. ...prostitution is not penalized in the country, but a third-party soliciting clients for a prostitute (proxenetismo) is committing a crime(free translation from Spanish)
^"Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Costa Rica". U.S. State Department. Retrieved 28 September 2007. ...There are no specific laws against sex tourism, which was growing
^"2008 Human Rights Report: Costa Rica". Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. U.S. Department of State. 25 February 2009. Archived from the original on 26 February 2009. Retrieved 7 May 2009.
^"Unos 130 sitios de internet promueven turismo sexual Costa Rica" (in Spanish). La Nación. 5 December 2004. Retrieved 16 March 2007.
^Otto Vargas (4 December 2004). "Agencias ofrecen en el exterior damas para vacaciones eróticas en Costa Rica" (in Spanish). La Nación. Retrieved 16 March 2007.
^Cite error: The named reference Ávalos was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"Costa Rica Draws Sex Trade". The Miami Herald. 13 October 2009. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
^ ab"Part 3 - CR Sex Tourism; Loving Gringos for a Living". The Costa Rican Times. 23 April 2013. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
^ abc"Costa Rica Prostitution". The Costa Rican Times. 24 April 2012.
^ ab"Costa Rica Prostitution - What's the Deal With Prostitutes?". San Jose Costa Rica. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
^"Number of Prostitutes by Country - Havocscope". Havocscope. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
^Cite error: The named reference state17 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference Child was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference unaids16 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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