I have written recently in my blog about the case of Cher Lyn Tomayko. She had for years been on the FBI's most wanted list for abducting her child and bringing her to Costa Rica against a court order that the child remain in the U.S. Recently Costa Rica granted her refugee status in the face of U.S. demands for her extradition. Now another women has asked for the same protection. Her name is Nicole Elise Kater of 28 years. She is claiming that she fled to Costa Rica with the child (against court order) to flee from aggression and strange sexual practices of her boyfriend (and father of the child), John F. Gehl. She is currently being held at the prison Buen Pastor, pending a decision on her extradition. Like Tomayko, she is asking for refugee status that would allow her to remain in Costa Rica with the child. Like the father of Cher's child, the father is claiming that there was no aggression nor strange sexual behavior that might warrant such status.
I took the position in my previous blog post re the case of Cher Lyn Tomayko in favor of Costa Rica's decision to grant refugee status. I did so on principle only, accepting as fact that in Cher's case there was abuse that warranted her fleeing to Costa Rica I still support the concept that Costa Rica would rightly grant such status in cases where there is an investigation with hard proof that abuse has taken place. In several comments, I was taken to task by the older daughter of Cher's former boyfriend and father of the child Cher brought to Costa Rica The young lady informed me in no uncertain terms that her father is completely innocent of abuse. I am not going to argue the case with someone who is certainly much closer to the factual situation than I could ever be. I will say that I am uncomfortable with this present lady seemingly trying to "ride the coattails" of the Tomayko decision. Maybe what she is saying is true. However, Costa Rica needs to take a good and hard look into the facts of the case before granting any such status again. Otherwise, they are opening the floodgates for such requests and some are surely going to lack legitimacy.
It should of course go without saying that women deserve respect. The current nomination of Sarah Palin as a vice-presidential running mate with John McCain on the Republican ticket and her incredible performance at the Republican Convention last night, confirms that not only do they deserve respect, but they are quite capable of earning it in the face of vehement and vulgar attempts at the opposite. In cases where there is clear abuse and yet a U.S. court is trying to intimidate Costa Rica into ceding to its demands (as it seemed the case with Cher Tomayko) then Costa Rica is right in protecting human dignity by granting such protective status and respecting the right of a woman to live with her child free from abuse, whether it be pychological or physical. However, Costa Rica must also be careful to weigh the facts of such cases and not just give the benefit of the doubt to whatever claims are being raised to support the request for refugee status. It is a fine line to walk and Costa Rica needs to proceed very careful with this and any other future cases.
I am Scott Bowers (alias, Costa Rica Guy) and I own and operate Package Costa Rica in San Jose, Costa Rica. I live in Santo Domingo de Heredia, Costa Rica. Package Costa Rica is a travel and real estate consulting company and arranges complete travel packages to Costa Rica for leisure or investment. Please visit our web site. http://www.packagecostarica.com/
I am also the author of a Costa Rica Informational Blog known as Tiquicia - [http://tiquicia.typepad.com/my_weblog/]
Email me anytime for information about Costa Rica.
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