Costa Rica on Thursday dismantled a human trafficking network that operated for the purpose of sexual exploitation, and authorities detained 10 people who led the operation, the Migration Directorate reported.
"If you are thinking about visiting Costa Rica with the purpose of paying for sex with underage people you could stay in this place for years or forever since this is a felony under Costa Rica’s law,” warns a fake listing on Airbnb, posted by an anti-trafficking group.
Sexual and labor exploitation are the top two drivers of human trafficking in Costa Rica this year, but organ trafficking continues to concern authorities, according to Immigration Administration Director Kathya Rodriguez.
Olger Ulate Ulate, 55, a Costa Rican man arrested in Brazil last week for allegedly having sex with a 16-year-old transvestite prostitute, was released with preventive measures the Costa Rican Foreign Ministry confirmed. Brazilian police did not say when Ulate was released.
Ólger Ulate Ulate, 55, a Tico who traveled to Brazil to attend the FIFA World Cup, was arrested Wednesday by Brazilian police in the city of Natal for allegedly having sex with a 16-year-old transvestite sex worker, several local media reported.
Scenic beaches and cold bottles of Imperial pervade Costa Rica’s image as a world-renowned tourist destination. But a darker side lurks behind the pura vida.
A suspected serial child molester may have abused at least 90 young boys at international American schools since 1972, and many of the victims may not be aware of what happened to them, said the Federal Bureau of Investigation in a statement Tuesday.
Harsh prison conditions, domestic abuse, and human trafficking were among the top concerns the United States State Department’s 2013 Human Rights Practices report found in Costa Rica.
