“Costa Rica is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor. Costa Rican women and children are subjected to sex trafficking within the country, with those living in the north and central Pacific coastal zones being particularly vulnerable.”

These are the first sentences of the 2016 Trafficking in Persons Report by the U.S. Department of State which was released mid-2016 and is once again taking relevance after the sentence of 5 years of jail given to US sexual tourist David Frank Strecker, known also as “Cuba Dave” in Costa Rica.

“Despite an identified child sex tourism problem, the government did not prosecute or convict any child sex tourists or other individuals who purchased commercial sex acts from children, although the government did collaborate with international partners to restrict entry to registered sex offenders”, cites the document, issued prior to the sentence against “CubaDave”.

Although there is no evidence that shows that Strecker engaged in any sexual acts with minors, the Costa Rican Public Ministry proved that Strecker documented sexual activities in Costa Rica with the purpose of promoting the country as a destination for sexual tourism.

“Knowing that it was a crime, he invited foreigners through his social media accounts to visit Costa Rica, stating that all they needed was money to find ‘sexual satisfaction’,” cited the district attorney’s office.

Facebook and You Tube, among others, were used by “Cuba Dave” to post about his sexual activities in Costa Rica and other Latin America countries.

Strecker became the first person to be sentenced in Costa Rica for this crime.

The U.S. Department of State recommended Costa Rican authorities to develop more solid investigation processes against sexual tourists.

“The Government of Costa Rica does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking, however, it is making significant efforts to do so. Despite these measures, the government did not demonstrate overall increasing anti-trafficking efforts compared to the previous reporting period; therefore, Costa Rica is placed on Tier 2 Watch List for the second consecutive year. The government provided data on its anti-trafficking efforts, but it was difficult to reconcile statistics because Costa Rican law includes a definition of human trafficking that is inconsistent with international law. Authorities prosecuted three suspects and convicted one trafficker under the trafficking law and convicted eight offenders for child sex trafficking or related crimes using other laws. The government identified three sex trafficking victims during the reporting period.”

The Costa Rican Hotel Chamber confirmed their satisfaction after the sentence against Strecker and asked the authorities to continue fighting these crimes.

“We need the legal authorities to understand that this type of crime and this type of tourism, doesn’t just affect the country’s economy, but that not executing all the efforts and actions to protect the people that have been and are victims of this type of situation is something we don’t have the luxury of doing”, said Gustavo Araya, president of the Costa Rican Hotel Chamber.