Over the past few years, the local media has tried to pin the Costa Rican prostitution and pedophilia problems on foreigners and the local politicians have branded these foreigners as sex tourists. Now, these same politicians are trying to pass a new law that will penalize anyone who describes Costa Rica as a sex tourism destination online or in any advertising campaigns. Furthermore, the new law criminalizes the act of transporting someone for purposes of prostitution. Taxi drivers and other transportation services could be in trouble, because at night, in and around Costa Rica’s capital, a huge number of prostitutes are coming and going from their dates. But adult prostitution, itself, is not penalized. The law also targets those who rent rooms to persons involved in trafficking. In the center of San Jose, there are several well known hotels with casinos that are full of foreigners gambling and having fun, prostitutes are all over these establishments, looking to meet and party with the foreigners. This new law would impact these businesses and their patrons greatly.

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.

What do you suppose that marketing campaign is all about? Prostitution is the oldest profession in the world and the game’s the same worldwide. The stakes have been lower in Costa Rica, and for that reason many adventuresome tourists have been attracted here over the years.

In a country where machismo has been protected like the Catholic clergy cover up, these wide-eyed tourists are like boy scouts in a porn shop. Costa Rica is an affordable flight away from the USA for many who have saved up enough dinero to partake and that has been very good for every Tico on the food chain for decades.

Costa Rica has attracted and welcomed the heavy drinking, testosterone driven tourists for years and these so called “sex tourists” have provided generous remuneration for everyone they come into contact with from the helpful taxi drivers, who find the newcomers new friends for a commission, to the friendly bartenders who enjoy the tips and keep the happy tourists satisfied until they’re recycled with a fresh new crew returning for more fun.

The majority of these foreigners are making friends with local adults who are willing and legally able to share themselves however and with whomever they would like. It’s called freedom. And that’s why most folks are attracted to Costa Rica. Unlike North America, where the politicians have prohibited most everything they can’t get a piece of since the prohibition.

Remember, the P word, prostitution, is legal here. The other P word, pedophilia, which is not legal, has been an unfortunate part of growing up in Latin America for much longer than the phrase “sexual tourism” was invented to cover up the dirty secret. However, like corruption, some things will not change quickly.

On some of Costa Rica’s major highways, you can see billboards in English as well as similar signs inside the airport taxis warning that sex with a minor is a punishable crime in Costa Rica. This marketing campaign needs to be directed in Spanish to the average Latino male in the small pueblos where the majority of the babies are born and bred. From the amount of young pregnant Latina’s, it’s clear the adult violators don’t use condoms and the poor young girls don’t understand what’s happening to them, because the mighty Catholic church doesn’t permit sex education or birth control.

Who’s impregnating these young Latina’s?

That’s the dirty secret that the Latino’s refuse to deal with. Its machismo and pedophilia ingrained in a culture that can’t escape from its own unhealthy traditions. It’s not a foreign tourist problem, it’s the locals who are abusing the children in this country and they’re the ones who need to be educated in order for them to understand that their dirty secret is an illness that needs to be eradicated.

Many underdeveloped countries throughout the world are saturated with young babies that are the result of irresponsible sex by uneducated societies. Glance at the covers of magazines in any bookstore worldwide and you’ll see advice on how to become a better lover and how to attract the ideal mate. If you walk through any shopping mall, you’ll be exposed to tattooed, scantily dressed young girls hanging all over their chosen mates. The age of teenagers engaging in sex becomes younger every year.

However, the level of education in more developed societies creates awareness and understanding as to how to control the problem of underage pregnancy and social diseases. Improving education will provide more aware students that someday will be able to understand corruption, pedophilia, and machismo are not healthy parts of Latino society.

Note: this article was anonymously contributed.