Costa Rica Tops List for Women’s Rights in the Americas, but Report Warns of 'Troubles' Ahead
Costa Rica Tops List for Women’s Rights in the Americas, but Report Warns of 'Troubles' Ahead
AQ’s 2013 Social Inclusion Index ranks Costa Rica as the 4th most socially inclusive country in the Americas despite looming concerns in rising levels of violence and drug trafficking.
A new report on social inclusion in the Americas shows “troubling” developments in Costa Rica, according to Americas Quarterly, a publication focused on public policy in Latin America.
Despite its concerns about the rising rates of violence and the growing presence of drug trafficking in the peaceful country, AQ rated Costa Rica as the 4th most socially inclusive country in the Americas, lead by Uruguay, Chile and the United States.
The publication noted that a lack of data on the United States in several categories could have contributed to its lower ranking.
The report called the case of Costa Rica “particularly troubling,” noting the country’s low scores for perceived government responsiveness and civil society participation, combined with rising violence and drug trafficking in the country without an army.
AQ observed a discrepancy between Costa Rica’s relatively high social inclusion score (4th overall) and growing rates of violence. The same correlation was seen with Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador and Brazil.
While the homicide rate of Costa Rica’s Central American neighbors dwarf its own, it has nevertheless steadily increased over the last decade, according to data compiled by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
The report used statistics from the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime 2010.
Costa Rica’s homicide rate in 2010 was 11.3 out of 100,000. According to the same data set, Costa Rica’s murder rate dropped to 10 in 2011....
