Epidemiology of Rapes in Costa Rica: Characterization of Victims, Perpetrators & Circumstances Surrounding Forced Intercourse

Since the year 2000, the number of rapes in Costa Rica has increased at a rate of 42 cases per year. In 2011, 1786 rape cases were reported to the prosecution offices throughout the country, but only 1081 reports continued through the investigation process by the Judicial Investigation Agency. 

A randomly collected sample of 272 reports received by Judicial Investigation Agency, between July 2012 and June 2013, were prospectively studied. The analysis was limited to cases reported within 30 days following the rape. 

Results indicate that most of the provinces in the country show an incidence of about 38 cases/100,000 inhabitants. 

• 96% of the victims were women, 
• 50% of which were between 10 and 19 years old. 
• More than 99.5% of violators were men. 
• The rape was perpetrated by a single aggressor in 85% of the cases. 
• It was found that 48% of the victims were within the first 11 days of their menstrual cycle at the time of the attack. 
• 29% of rapes occurred in "high rape-risk" circumstances--e.g., victims attacked by strangers in public outdoors or indoors. 
• 25% of rapes occur in "moderate rape-risk" circumstances--e.g., victims attacked indoors at public locations or at the home other than the victim's by relatives, sentimental partners or acquaintances. 
• 15% of rapes occurred in "low rape-risk" circumstances--e.g., victims attacked in their homes by relatives or sentimental partners. 
• In 67% of the cases the perpetrator was an acquaintance of the victim. 
• 11% of the cases corresponded to rapes in which the perpetrator was a partner or ex-partner of the victim. 
• 14% and 25% of rapes could be classified as "proactive drug-facilitated rapes" or "opportunistic drug-facilitated rapes", respectively. 
• Semen in the vaginal fluid of victims and the genetic profile of the alleged perpetrator were detected in 55% and 33% of the cases, respectively

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By: Cerdas L1, Arroyo C2, Gómez A3, Holst I2, Angulo Y3, Vargas M2, Espinoza M4, León G3.

• 1Sección de Bioquímica, Departamento de Ciencias Forenses, Organismo de Investigación Judicial,San José, Costa Rica. Electronic address: LCerdasA@poderjudicial.go.cr.
• 2Departamento de Análisis Clínicos, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica.
• 3Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Facultad de Microbiología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica.
• 4Sección de Bioquímica, Departamento de Ciencias Forenses, Organismo de Investigación Judicial,San José, Costa Rica.  

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