Ley de Penalización de la Violencia contra las Mujeres (Ley N.º 8589) – Femicide and Other Crimes

The Ley de Penalización de la Violencia contra las Mujeres (Law No. 8589, of April 25, 2007) creates specific criminal offenses to penalize physical, psychological, sexual, and economic/property violence against women within a relationship — it is the law that created the crime of femicide in Costa Rica.

Who it applies to (Artículo 2) — a key point that is frequently misunderstood: this law does NOT cover all violence against any woman, but specifically violence occurring within a marriage or informal domestic partnership / common-law union (*unión de hecho*, declared or not), including when the victim is between 15 and 18 years old (outside a parental authority relationship). Violence outside this relationship context is prosecuted under the general Código Penal or, if within the broader family unit, under the Ley contra la Violencia Doméstica (see separate fact sheet).

Femicide (Artículo 21): anyone who kills a woman with whom they maintain or have maintained a marriage or common-law union (declared or not) receives a prison sentence of 20 to 35 years.

Other crimes created by this law, along with their penalties:

• Physical abuse (Artículo 22): 3 months to 2 years in prison, depending on the severity and injury/disability caused.
• Offenses against dignity / psychological violence (Artículo 25): 6 months to 2 years in prison for verbally offending a woman's dignity or decorum.
• Restriction of self-determination (Artículo 26): 2 to 4 years in prison for using threats, violence, intimidation, blackmail, stalking, or harassment to force a woman to do or refrain from doing something she is not obligated to do.
• Threats against a woman (Artículo 27): 6 months to 2 years in prison.
• Rape against a woman (Artículo 29): 12 to 18 years in prison.
• Abusive sexual conduct (Artículo 30): 3 to 6 years in prison.
• Economic/property crimes (Artículos 34–40): theft, damage, or limitation of a woman's property rights, or fraud to conceal marital property — variable penalties depending on the specific crime.
• Breach of a protective order (Artículo 43): violating an already issued protective measure (for example, under the Ley contra la Violencia Doméstica) is a separate crime.

These crimes are public offenses (Artículo 4): the Ministerio Público (Public Prosecutor's Office) prosecutes them *ex officio* (automatically), meaning the legal proceedings continue even if the victim does not maintain a private complaint.

Protection during proceedings (Artículo 7): right from the start of the judicial investigation, protective measures under the Ley contra la Violencia Doméstica and precautionary measures under the Código Procesal Penal can be requested — you do not need to wait for a sentence to request protection.

Note: this fact sheet summarizes the most relevant crimes and penalties of a specialized law that has been modified by Sala Constitucional rulings across several articles (see the full text for details on each reform). In a real situation of violence, the most important step is to seek help immediately: call the 911 emergency line, the free INAMU line at 1125 (Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., verified at inamu.go.cr), or file a report directly with the Ministerio Público, the OIJ, or a Juzgado de Violencia Doméstica — it is not necessary to wait or consult a lawyer first to request urgent help.