Social Issue

In Costa Rica there is a social problem that has been going on for many years, this
major problem is racism. This issue is often overlooked or not brought to the
forefront because most people rather talk about Costa Ricas great, beautiful
environment. Costa Rica is pretty homogeneous, the majority of the population is
light skinned people and Roman Catholic. Then there are the minority, which
mostly consists of blacks, or darker skinned people, who are often treated unfairly,
not cared for, and basically not recognized as citizens of the country. This issue
isnt just in Costa Rica, this is also seen as a big problem in other countries like
Mexico where blacks are given limited rights and arent seen as citizens, but rather
as immigrants from other nearby counties. This issue is not often thought of as
important by many Central American countries, including Costa Rica. However,
racism is a big problem with not many people doing anything to stop it or prevent it.
Recently, a black congresswoman named Espy Campbell received many racist
threats due to her position on a political issue. These comments were extremely
hurtful and racist. It is widely accepted that Costa Ricans are known to think of
themselves as superior to their neighboring countries. It is not unusual for a
countrys people to believe that they are better than people from other countries,
its a problem when those people think of others as lower class and unintelligent.
The reason Costa Ricans may think this way is because they have a higher literacy
rate, a better education system, better standards of living, and higher GPDs than
other Central American countries. Recently, the Costa Rican government has been
trying to put a stop to all the racism. They want to promote Costa Rica as a county
of inclusiveness, not separation. Many people believe the Costa Rican government
is doing this to protect its enormous tourist industry. Nevertheless, it is an issue
that many Costa Ricans would like addressed and eliminated. The Committee on
the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has been considering many ways to stop
this racist criticism against the black population. One idea is to have better
understanding of differences through education and conversation. It is generally
agreed, that when Costa Ricans begin to see themselves as one people, this will
translate to improved relations within its people.

Sources used:
1. http://www.costarica.net/features/culture.htm
2. http://www.ticotimes.net/2015/05/08/black-costa-rican-congresswomen-reportracist-threats
3. http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?
NewsID=16296&LangID=E