The Inter-institutional Protocol for Comprehensive Care for Young and Adult Victims of sex crimes establishes guidelines to provide protection services to within 72 hours after the crime occurred.
The Protocol establishes coordination mechanisms between various institutions such as the CCSS, INAMU, PANI, the Police and the Attorney General’s Office in response to these crimes. Part of the response from the public health system is the STI risk assessment of the survivor, as well as providing post-exposure prophylactics (PPE) and the respective treatment.
The medical staff is the competent authority to assess the risk of exposure and weigh the costs and benefits of providing PPE to the survivor. The Protocol recognizes that “After rape, post-exposure prophylaxis (hereinafter PEP) for the virus of the human immunodeficiency (hereinafter HIV) is a form of primary prevention of infection, which consists of the administration of antiretroviral drugs (…). Early intervention can prevent active HIV infection”.
The survivor can be treated under the 72-hour Protocol either because they go directly to the hospital service, or because they are referred by the services of the Judicial Power, officials of the Judicial Investigation Agency or the Police.
Medical personnel must be respectful at all times and not discriminate based on sexual orientation, gender identity or expression of the survivor, as recognized by human rights instruments such as the Yogyakarta Principles.
At CELIG we provide specialized services to the LGBTQI+ community. If you want more information or make an appointment with us, call us at 2253-0256 or write to us at info@celigcr.com.
We are located in San José, Barrio Escalante.
M.Sc. Ana Isabel Sibaja Rojas
CELIG – Center for Equal Litigation
