Belén approves regulation against political violence toward women

The Municipality of Belén approved the Regulations to Prevent, Address, Sanction, and Eradicate Violence Against Women in Politics and submitted it for public consultation for a period of 10 days. The agreement was adopted unanimously in Ordinary Session No. 58-2026, Article 21, held on September 29, 2026, and ratified on October 6, and is published in La Gaceta No. 192 on Monday, October 12, 2026, with the official reference IN202601131753.

The regulations establish an internal procedure to receive complaints of political violence, investigate them, and, eventually, sanction the responsible parties within the municipal scope. Its stated objective is to prevent, address, sanction, and eradicate such conduct in the Municipality of Belén, in observance of the principles informing the matter.

The scope of application covers two scenarios: women holding elected or appointed positions within the municipality, and women who, by the nature of their functions, are in charge of institutional policies on gender equality and political rights, as is the case in the Municipal Office of Gender Equality and Equity (OFIM) and the Municipal Commission on the Condition of Women (CMCM). As supplementary sources, it invokes Law 10.235—Law to prevent, address, sanction, and eradicate violence against women in politics, of May 3, 2022, published in Supplement No. 98 to La Gaceta No. 90 of May 17, 2022—, Law 7476, Law 7586, the Electoral Code, Law 8765, Law 8589, Law 6227, and the Municipal Code, Law 7794.

Single Complaint before Human Resources

The text defines violence against women in politics as any conduct, by action, omission, or tolerance, based on reasons of gender or gender identity, exercised directly, by third parties, or through virtual means, that undermines or nullifies the exercise of political rights. This includes harassment or stalking and physical, psychological, sexual, patrimonial, and symbolic violence.

Among the manifestations listed are:

• Assigning tasks unrelated to the position or functions without the resources to execute them.
• Suppressing responsibilities inherent to the position without justification.
• Preventing access to information necessary for decision-making.
• Restricting participation in commissions and committees inherent to the position.
• Discriminating based on pregnancy, breastfeeding, or motherhood.
• Disclosing private information or images without authorization.
• Undermining credibility or political capacity through offenses, insults, threats, or mockery.
• Physically attacking based on gender condition.

The only entity empowered to receive complaints shall be the Human Resources Office; any other office must forward them without entering into details or inquiries, as they are of a confidential nature. If the person reported works in that office, the complaint shall be filed before the Mayor’s Office, which must acknowledge it within the following 24 hours. If the reported person is the holder of the Mayor’s or Vice-Mayor’s Office, or another elected official, the case shall be transferred to the Municipal Council.

Sanctions and precautionary measures

The person declared responsible may be sanctioned, according to article 27 of Law 10.235, with a written warning, suspension, or loss of credentials. The warning is notified by the secretariat of the Council and forwarded to the Supreme Electoral Tribunal for the registry established in article 33 of said law; if the loss of credentials is agreed upon, the file is transferred to that tribunal to initiate the cancellation process.

The directing body of the procedure is formed within a period of eight business days and is composed on an equal basis of three people with knowledge in gender, human rights, political rights, and violence against women. The deadline to file a complaint is one year from the last act of violence, and the investigation must be resolved within an orderly period of three months.

The directing body may order precautionary measures ex officio or at the request of a party, including:

• That the reported person refrain from disturbing the affected woman or those advising her.
• That they do not interfere in the exercise of her political rights.
• Communicating with police authorities to provide aid or protection.

Failure to comply with precautionary measures could be reported through criminal channels for the crime of disobedience, as defined in article 314 of the Penal Code, Law 4573. The procedure is governed by the principles of confidentiality and non-revictimization, and prohibits conciliation between the parties and the preliminary investigation of the facts.

Validity and municipal obligations

The regulation shall govern starting the day following its definitive publication in the Official Gazette La Gaceta. Transitory I sets a maximum period of three months, from the date of entry into force, for the Mayor’s Office to promote training for the OFIM, Human Resources, and personnel in general; Transitory II grants up to six months to fulfill the preventive actions under the responsibility of the Mayor’s Office and the Municipal Council.

The Mayor’s Office must develop the proposed policy for prevention, care, sanction, and eradication, establish an internal administrative commission comprising the Mayor’s Office, the Legal Department, and Human Resources, and approve an application protocol. The Municipal Council is responsible for approving this policy and its amendments, reviewing the Mayor’s Office’s annual report, and conducting training sessions during the first six months aimed at elected officials and their advisors.

The agreement was notified by the Council secretariat and signed by Ana Patricia Murillo Delgado, Council Secretary.

The approval makes Belén one of the municipalities that transpose the mandate of Law 10.235 to the local level, with its own procedure, defined deadlines, and sanctions that may include the cancellation of credentials before the Supreme Electoral Tribunal. For women holding elected or appointed positions in the canton, the regulation opens a confidential internal channel to report political violence without first resorting to external instances.

Source: La Gaceta No. 192, Monday, October 12, 2026, Section I, pp. 99-104 (official reference: IN202601131753).