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CountryCosta Rica
Overview of the child rights situation

In the Costa Rica report, it becomes clear that the implementation of the child rights perspective in general legislation in insufficient. Costa Rica needs to allocate more financial, human and technical resources to the implementation of laws that uphold children's rights. Similarly, the overall societal approach to children's rights is paternalistic and adult-oriented, and children's rights are not prioritized. There is also a lack of child-friendly, compliant mechanisms in any official context. In addition, measures to prevent gang violence and drug trafficking must be implemented. In addition, 34 percent of children live in poverty and 12 percent even live in extreme poverty.

ViolenceThe Committee is deeply concerned about the frequent occurrence of various forms of violence against children.
Discrimination
Female genital mutilation and reproductive rights

Persisting stereotypes against girls heighten the risks of sexual violence and exploitation, early pregnancies and the imposition of barriers in access to education and sexual and reproductive health. Patriarchal ideologies need to be removed in education and family. 15 percent of femicides registered between 2004 and 2014 affected adolescent girls. Abortion is criminalized.

Racism, children belonging to a minority and indigenous childrenThe Committee recommends to expedite the adoption of legislation to sanction and address all forms of violence related to racism, xenophobia and discrimination, including sanctions for perpetrators of hate speech.<br /> Also, the child mortality rate of indigenous and Afro-descendent children in Limón Province is higher than the national average.
Situation of children with disabilities

Measures to identify violence and improve accessible health-care services need to be implemented for children with disabilities. In addition, the Committee recommends to ensure that legislation on children’s rights and gender-equality legislation and public policies are responsive to and include the rights of children with disabilities, and promote participation of children with disabilities in public decision-making. Also, Costa Rica should ensure that all cases of violence, including sexual violence, against children with disabilities, are systematically registered by the authorities, and provide children with adequate access to redress, including psychosocial counselling, and support services.

Education
Free primary and secondary schoolYes
Free kindergartenYes
Digital possibilitiesThe Committee recommends to strengthen measures to protect children from harmful information and products and online risks.
Health
physical health

The Committee recommends to ensure access to health services by indigenous and Afro-descendent children living in rural and coastal areas. Also, Costa Rica should ensure sufficient budget allocation for universal coverage of health care, including by establishing and strengthening partnerships with local governments.

mental health

There are high rates of suicides among adolescents. The Committee recommends to strengthen the work and coverage of the interdisciplinary mental health teams working at the local level, and adopt a strategy focused on the prevention of suicide.

Relation to other countries
Impacts of climate change
Business sector

The Committee, noting with concern information about the worst forms of child labour, in particular of girls in domestic work and adolescent children in the informal sector, recommends that the State party strengthen its measures to identify and prevent child labour, through continuous labour inspections, mechanisms of complaint by children, and awareness-raising campaigns against domestic work of adolescent girls.

Section Break
Situation of juvenile justice

The Committee recommends to the state party to bring its child justice system fully into line with the Convention and raise the minimum age of criminal responsibility to at least 14 years. Also, Costa Rica should discontinue preventive detention of children. Furthermore, the Committee recommends that the State party take measures to ensure the identification of instances of ill-treatment of children by the police, and measures to improve infrastructure and conditions of detention in Zurquí and Ofelia Vicenzi juvenile centres need to be adopted.

Specific observations

Costa Rica's concluding observations are one of the few that include intersectional discrimination.

Publications and Reviews
Citations
Additional BackgroundConcluding observations on the fifth and sixth periodic reports released on 4 March 2020.
Additional background (new)
Websites
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Source Urlhttps://www.childrightsfacts.org/2022/zeit-zum-ausprobieren/
Entry Date2022-03-02 13:44:03
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