Situation of Lesbian, Bisexual, Transsexual, Transgender and Intersex Women in Costa Rica in Regards to Discrimination CEDAW Shadow Report

Violence against lesbian, bisexual, transgender, transsexual and intersex (LBTTI) women is both omnipresent in Costa Rican and utterly neglected in public policy.

• LBTTI population is denied basic civil, political, social and economic rights, both in the laws and in practice. The LBTTI population does not ask for special or additional rights but respect for the same rights enjoyed by the general population
• Transgender people are not full recognition under the law.
• Transgender women are routinely and arbitrarily arrested.
• Many LBTTI persons are denied employment and/or lose their jobs because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
• The discriminatory policies and of some medical practitioners partially due to lack of proper training that all patients are heterosexual and result in violations of the right to health.
• The government denies LBTTI persons the right to form a family because it does not recognize same-sex couples as families.
  

Today Costa Rica is at a crossroad, some sectors to make their voices heard. Some refuse to be pushed to the side and remain silent. These organizations and advocates are demanding that the proposed constitutional reforms would ensure the full democratization and ‘humanization' of Costa Rican laws. The struggle to overcome discrimination does not merely aim to add the LBTTIpopulation's rights to currently recognised rights. It also aspire to have them recognised by the international community, countries and civil society as an integral and inalienable part of universal human rights.