President Oscar Arias yesterday signed the Law to Penalize Violence against Women, bringing to its feet a crowd of legislators, women's rights advocates and others who've watched the proposal's eight-year path toward reality.
The law, which includes punishments for abuse of women by their partners and toughens jail terms for rape, among other crimes, will take effect as soon as it is published in the official government daily La Gaceta.
“Finally, we did it!” said a jubilant Vice-President Laura Chinchilla, who'd lobbied in favor of the bill during her term as a legislator (2002-2006). She told onlookers gathered at Casa Presidencial that a special inter-institutional commission with representatives from the Public Security Ministry, Judicial Branch, National Women's Institute and other organizations will ensure the law is properly implemented.
Arias, who called for a widespread social movement against inequality to make the fair treatment of women “not just the law of the State, (but) the law that governs each citizen's heart,” is the third President in power since the law was first proposed in 1999 amid a rising wave of violence against women. It was approved five times before its final approval April 12, but sent back to the assembly each time by the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court (Sala IV).
The law calls for 20-35 years in jail for any man convicted of murdering his partner – nearly double the 12-18 years now applied to homicide convictions – and six months to two years for a man convicted of “repeatedly and in a public or private manner, insulting, devaluing, ridiculing, shaming or terrorizing” his partner (TT, April 20). |
| 
| Exchange Rates
