The results of a study carried out by RedTraSex (network of sexual workers of Latin America and the Caribbean) where disclosed during a press conference this Wednesday, with information relevant to 13 countries, among them Costa Rica.

The study was carried out through 5,222 surveys done during three months of this 2017. In Costa Rica 362 female sex workers took part of the survey.

The study reveals that 45% of sexual workers in Costa Rica have had sexual relations with police officers, out of this 84% confirm the members of the police forces asked for the sex to be free; 50% confirmed they used inappropriate language with them and 43% confessed having suffered aggression and violence by police officers; 75% of them do not file a report because they are afraid and because they consider they have very little access to justice.

In the region the number of sexual workers that confirmed having suffered violence by a member of the police force is of 70%.

“This numbers show that because sexual work is not regulated, we are left unprotected”, states the report.

“It is necessary that Costa Rica is consistent with its position in defense of the Human Rights of all Costa Rican citizens and that they recognize the female sexual workers and sexual work as work”, commented Nubia Ordoñez, national coordinator of La Sala, Costa Rican organization that is part of RedTraSex.

RedTraSex seeks to raise awareness regarding the position of vulnerability of sexual workers while also trying to get sexual work recognized as a regular form of work which would allow them to have access to the same benefits as any other worker has.