Soccer games in Costa Rica always bring out the passion in Ticos, unfortunately this is not always the good kind of passion, but instead, it turns into violence and aggression.

Last Sunday, June 17, during the national soccer team’s game against Serbia in the Russia World Cup, 911 registered in average 20 domestic violence incidents per hour, for a total of 482 reports in comparison to the 433 registered the prior Sunday (June 10).

The number of reports was higher between 8 a.m. and noon and then it peaked again from 5 p.m. through 11 p.m.

The fact that the number of domestic violence reports increase during soccer games is a known phenomenon and has raised the alarms of the National Women’s Institute (INAMU) which has reported receiving in average 268 calls about domestic violence on a daily basis.

Patricia Mora, Minister of the Condition of Women and INAMU, has been working on declaring violence against women as a national emergency with the purpose of being able to execute immediate actions in areas with higher incidence of violence.

“It is time that the Costa Rican society asks itself how we have gotten to this point, how we have allowed that these brutal numbers continue”, stated Mora.

Even though violence and murder rates have increased in general in Costa Rica, the murder of women is usually a result of domestic violence, women are killed by their husbands or romantic partners.

Inamu has also launched several campaigns with the help of renowned national soccer players to bring attention to this problematic and put an end to violence against women.

For Mora, the solution comes from the hand of education, strengthening new concepts of masculinity and offering children adequate tools to deal with their frustrations and emotional problems.