Nearly 15 femicides have occurred in the country so far this year, which made the Executive Branch react and now, according to the Presidency and the National Institute of Women (INAMU), this problem will be a priority issue for this administration.
The prevention and improvement of the protocols of attention to women in vulnerable conditions is the central axis of the 40 measures contemplated in the directive and the executive decree that declared this problem of national interest. Both documents were signed on Tuesday by the President of the Republic, Carlos Alvarado.
The signing of this directive and decree comes at a time when the country is still shocked by the murder of two female tourists last week on the coasts of Cóbano and Tortugero.
But according to Patricia Mora, head of INAMU, this situation was not what prompted the government to sign these measures, but a commitment to Costa Rican women.
Mora, in the middle of her speech, announced that if after a year these measures are not complied with in their entirety, she will submit her resignation.
INAMU statistics show that from 2012 to 2017, 286,597 protective measures were requested in the competent courts, which gives an average of 47,757 per year.
Sexual crimes against women and girls are increasing. Data from the Judicial Branch indicate that from 2010 to 2016, 46,754 complaints were filed for these crimes.