By Wendy Anders

Have you ever filed for child support in Costa Rica, lodged a complaint for sexual harassment, or requested a restraining order from a partner or former partner?

Your input and evaluation of these services is sought out as the Costa Rican justice system works to strengthen and improve their services for victims of gender-based violence, said the judiciary oversight department this month.

The department is requesting input from people who have sought attention or filed for assistance in areas of child support, alimony, domestic violence, public sexual harassment, and other forms of sexual violence or harassment.

The survey, in Spanish, was launched on February 15 and will serve to evaluate services in an on-going fashion, said the oversight department. Results will be published periodically on the Gender Violence Observatory page on the judiciary’s website.

Services to be evaluated include domestic violence courts, criminal courts, prosecutor offices, victim care and protection services, judicial investigative agency (OIJ) services, and the court’s social work and psychology departments.

“We are very encouraged by this survey because we will be able to learn about what our users experience, and have inputs to improve our services. It is an excellent opportunity to connect with the people we serve, to listen to them and to give them a voice,” said Dixie Mendoza Chaves, coordinator of the Gender Violence and Access to Justice Observatory, one of the three offices coordinating the survey.

The Gender Violence Observatory is at the forefront of the judiciary’s response to women’s issues in Costa Rica and was initiated by Supreme Court of Justice President Zarela Villanueva Monge in June 2015.

The page includes valuable information on gender-based violence including provincial office information, guidelines for detecting and reporting violence, regulations, jurisprudence, circulars and protocols, the latest statistics on the forms of gender violence, and other relevant topics.

The Observatory also provides information on the distribution of the personnel that works in the judicial system according to sex and position, said the oversight office.

Questions or comments about the survey can be made by calling 2295-3059 or emailing <[email protected]>.

Videos about the survey are available at the following links: