A lot of “double talk” is what Ilma Sandoval, a researcher at Universidad Nacional, said she found in her recent study of Costa Ricans' perceptions of Nicaraguans living here.
“Many people say they have good relationships with Nicaraguans and then someone makes a xenophobic joke, they just laugh along,” Sandoval said during a press conference yesterday to present the results of her study.
Conducted through the Institute of Population Studies (IDESPO) -- based at the university's campus in Heredia, north of San José -- the study interviewed 600 people around the country via telephone.
Some questions pertained to all immigrants in Costa Rica, while others focused on Nicaraguan immigrants.
About 64% of those interviewed said they have some type of contact or relationship with immigrants, while 67% of them classified this relationship as “good,” 29% said it was “regular” and 4% said it was “bad.”
In terms of Nicaraguan immigrants, 69% of Costa Ricans interviewed said Nicas experience “a lot” of discrimination, while 26% said they face “little” discrimination and 5% said there is “no” discrimination.
This contradicted answers to the question “Are the human rights of Nicaraguan immigrants respected in Costa Rica ?” Sandoval said. Sixty-five percent of those interviewed answered “yes” to this question, while 35% answered “no.”
“Many people believe human rights only concern the right to education and the right to health care when, in reality, they go a lot farther than these services,” she said.
The results of the study presented yesterday are part of three studies Sandoval is carrying out with support from the System for Statistics on Migrations in Meso-America (SIEMMENS). |
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