A hedonistic state of mind
The Costa Rican mentality was forged at the same time as the country's values. The first Europeans, who were sent to colonize the land, lived in poverty and devoted themselves exclusively to work. The chroniclers of the 17th century reported the misery of the settlers of that time, reduced to cultivating the land and struggling to adapt to a new and unfamiliar environment. However, to overcome the difficulties, the first inhabitants helped each other as much as possible to maintain a certain solidarity. Thus, an economy and a social life took shape at the same time as the society that was slowly being built. Establishing the necessary bases for the blossoming of the inhabitants was a priority to allow the perennial installation of the colonies. Today, thanks to its community-based values, Costa Rica is often referred to as the most welcoming country in Central America. A land of welcome and wonder, the destination has taken care in recent decades to ensure a spirit of tranquility that goes hand in hand with stability, as evidenced by the national motto: "¡ Vivan siempre el trabajo y la paz!" (May work and peace live forever!). Respect for one's fellow man, for nature, for life, for social peace and for democracy are well anchored in the mentality of the Ticos... And as a visitor, one is easily won over by this pacifist mentality. In a country without an army, budgets are more dedicated to education, environment and health. Because of its high standard of living and the harmonious coexistence of its different populations, some people even consider Costa Rica as the Switzerland of Central America. Its system of education, working conditions regulations, salary, retirement and vacations ensures a certain quality of life in perpetual communion with nature. It can be said that a philosophy of life emerges that is well characterized by the other national slogan "Pura vida": an ode to peace and gratitude.
Live healthier and happier
A true paradise on earth, Costa Rica welcomes new expatriate communities every year: this is particularly noticeable on the Pacific coast, near Tamarindo, where a good number of Americans have taken up residence year round. It is not surprising that so many foreigners settle in this country: beyond a tourist trip, a longer term settlement promises an attractive lifestyle. First of all, the average life span of Costa Ricans is one of the longest in the world and Costa Ricans enjoy a higher level of well-being than people in rich countries (in 2019, according to the Happy Planet Index, Costa Rica is the happiest country on the planet). Exposed to vitamin D, away from urban stress, enjoying healthy, local food while staying active every day, Ticos live old and healthy while strengthening social ties with friends and family. People enjoy getting together, sharing, socializing, and families support each other, from the elderly to the youngest children. The elderly feel useful and integrated, they work all their lives, remain positive and active at any age: it is not uncommon to see a centenarian riding a horse! Costa Rica is among the twelve countries in the world that invest the most in health and remains the largest investor in Latin America, according to the OECD. The cost of living, the economic stability, the health care, the education, the taxation... These simply exceptional living conditions will seduce all the dreamers in search of elsewhere. Faced with this multitude of advantages, Costa Rica was voted the ideal destination to retire in 2018!
Women's rights
In addition to to topping the list of happiest countries, Costa Rica has managed to place environmental concerns at the heart of its economic policies. However, even though the government seems to prioritize the well-being of its people and respect for the environment, some human rights remain unfulfilled. Regarding women's rights, the right to vote was first granted in 1950. In 1869, compulsory primary education for both sexes was introduced, and in 1887 the country granted married women the right to manage their own assets. The following year, married women could hold legal custody and be executors of wills. From the 21st century, the cause of women accelerates and the country even elects a president of the Republic, Laura Chinchilla from 2010 to 2014. In 2019, after the adoption of some measures guaranteeing the sexual and reproductive rights of women and girls, the Ministry of Health issued an authorization for the marketing of contraceptives without prescription. However, abortion is criminalized in most Latin American countries and continues to be a regular topic of public debate in Costa Rica. Although Costa Rica is less categorical than its Central American neighbors, which are known to have some of the strictest abortion laws in the world (prison sentences for illegal abortion in El Salvador), it continues to restrict and punish recourse to voluntary interruption of pregnancy (abortion). The 1970 Penal Code criminalizes abortion as a "crime against life. Prison sentences range from six months to three years for having an abortion, and from six months to ten years for performing or assisting a woman to have an abortion. Legally, "therapeutic" abortion is permitted only in cases of life-threatening conditions for the mother. In cases of rape, abortion is not allowed. A decree issued in 2019 clarified the legality of "therapeutic" abortion in private and public centers. In a country where Catholicism is the state religion and the church still intervenes in all public issues, the long struggle for abortion still seems compromised. However, many women's rights movements are mobilizing in Latin America to advance the right to voluntary termination of pregnancy. Buoyed by an increasingly reformist Latin America, Costa Rican women are drawing inspiration from the successes of full legalization of abortion, such as those in Argentina in 2020 or Chile in 2021, to push for safe, legal and free abortion. In early 2021, the Costa Rican NGO Movement presented an initiative to decriminalize abortion, which it hoped to bring before Parliament. If it collects at least 170,000 signatures, the proposed law would seek to allow abortion up to 14 weeks of pregnancy.
Advances in LGBT rights
Same-sex discrimination continues despite a 2018 ruling by the Costa Rican Supreme Court of Justice. This high court had declared the ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional and then gave the Legislative Assembly eighteen months to set the legal terms for such unions and amend the Family Code. It took an opinion from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) that same year to bring marriage for all activists to a successful conclusion. On May 26, 2020, same-sex marriage was officially authorized. With this historic legal decision, Costa Rica became the first country in Central America and the eighth country in the Americas to legalize same-sex marriage. In a sign of social and cultural transformation, more than 35 local NGOs launched the "Yes, I Accept" ("Sí Acepto") campaign calling for equal dignity for all human beings. If legal change is one thing, cultural change is another: with a majority of Catholics, Costa Rica is still subject to outdated beliefs held by the Church. However, it would seem that the perception of the LGBT community has improved thanks to a more "modern" image of the Church, more open to homosexuality since the election of Pope Francis.
The issue of indigenous peoples
Pioneer in the defense of the environment, the country values economically its ecological resources. But this preserved environment has a few forgotten people: for a long time, Costa Rica has put aside its local populations, which are still alive and well within its borders. In 2021, the country's ethnocultural populations totaled approximately 100,000 people in the 24 indigenous territories that were still home to eight distinct peoples. Although Costa Rica has adopted the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and ratified the International Labour Organization's Convention 169 on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples, the rights to territory and self-determination are still not recognized. Laws and decrees exist to protect local populations, but it is easy for multinationals to misuse them: the purchase of certain indigenous lands is easily obtained through a transaction of a few million dollars. Some territories are located in remote areas and have no schools or electricity. In the absolute, this is not a problem for these populations attached to a traditional way of life, but it becomes problematic when their lands are exploited and they are forced to flee to the city. In the face of so much suffering, the authorities turn a deaf ear and as the trees fall, the cattle farms intensify and the rivers dry up, these populations have no choice but to join the white man's system and bow to "Progress. In 2019, the founding member of the National Front of Indigenous Peoples (Frenapi), Sergio Rojas, was murdered in his home. A well-known spokesman for the Bribri people, he had reported threats and attacks against him and other communities in territorial disputes. In 2020, Jehry Rivera, an indigenous Bröran from Térraba, was also murdered during a land recovery process. By early 2023, both cases remained unpunished by the justice system, and no progress had been made in the investigation of the murders and the precautionary measures ordered by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights for the Protection of Communities.
