This publication examines sex tourism in Costa Rica, with a focus on the broader web of social actors involved in transactional sexual encounters beyond just tourists and sex workers. It explores how North American women and Costa Rican men - while not directly involved in sex tourism - are frequently referenced by tourists and sex workers as a way to interpret and justify their own roles and experiences. By analyzing these social dynamics, the study highlights how sex tourism operates through complex relationships between multiple groups. This document can support anti-trafficking practitioners in Costa Rica by offering a more nuanced understanding of how tourism-related exploitation is shaped by broader cultural and gendered narratives.
Year of Publication: 2011
Author(s): Megan Rivers-Moore
