Volunteer at the Jaguar Rescue Center: a nightmare
SOPHIE HARTOP:
On the 19th of October I was filmed whilst showering at the Jaguar Inn by the manager and nephew of Enca, the owner of the Jaguar Rescue Center. His name is Marti. I was showering after coming back from the beach when I turned whilst thinking I was alone, to face a phone filming me. I immediately shouted, and the phone was pulled away by a hand. I was scared. I ran out to find Marti leaning into my room from the room saying he was sorry. He then said he had to go to tell his girlfriend. When he came back I asked him “Why would you do that” and he replied with “I don’t know, I must be some sort of horny sexual predator.”.
Marti then told his mum, dad and aunt. They informed me that he would be sent to San Jose to get therapy, and that he would not be getting his job back. I felt happy with this and wanted to sympathise with the family so I continued to pay to stay at the Jaguar Inn and volunteer at the Jaguar Rescue Center for two more weeks. During these two weeks I realised that Marti organises which guests stay in which room. Me and the only other 18 year old girl staying at the Jaguar Inn, were put into the only room where you can film into the shower through a mesh at the top without getting caught, as the mesh faced the jungle. Two weeks later I see Marti playing in the pool, in the hammock and with puppies after I’ve been told he left for San Jose. The family were lying to me and all the other workers. I was told by Enca Garcia that the reason he did what he did was because of his deteriorating mental health, and I should have sympathy for him. I then find out he is getting his job back and the family is waiting for me to leave. Enca, the owner of the Jaguar Rescue center tells me that what happened to me is not sexual harassment, was not a sexually orientated act, I am not a victim and this is the only time he has done this. I then say I am leaving and contact the police who are yet to contact me back after over a month.
I live with PTSD and this experience triggered me. Because of this experience I had numerous sleepless nights and suicidal thoughts. I was paying to be here and volunteer at the rescue center and yet I had been traumatised in doing so? I am the one who has to leave whilst the person who sexually harasses their paying customers is the one who gets to stay, and gets PAID to stay? I wasn’t offered a refund so I had to ask for one, which I did in the end receive.
How many more girls have to catch him doing this and be traumatised before he is put to a stop?
As I am packing Enca Garcia knocks on my door. She denies ever saying any of things she said before i.e. "You are not a victim of sexual harassment". She then proceeds to ask how I am feeling I say “Annoyed.”, she replies with “Still?”.
He still has his phone, his job and is allowed to work with volunteers. If he is happy to film people in their most private moments, when they are naked, then what else is he happy doing?
I went to the police station at Bribri in November but because of Covid I was sent away. So I sent my denuncia on an email and told the police on the 11th of November, but they still haven’t got back to me.
EMMETT HULSER-MORRIS, who responded to this:
Hello everyone,
I am here to confirm that Sophie Hartop’s allegation regarding the Jaguar Rescue Center is completely true. (For those of you who don’t know what happened, here is a link to her original post:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/PVForoAbierto/permalink/3489371147825039). I was a volunteer at the time Sophie was sexually assaulted by the hostel manager, Marti, and I was in the hostel when it happened. Almost immediately after the assault occurred, Sophie came to me and some other volunteers and told us what had happened. Later that night, Juan (Marti’s father and the owner of the hostel) came to talk with us about the incident. We were told by Encar Garcia (The owner of the Jaguar Rescue Center and Marti’s aunt) and Juan that Marti would be sent to San Jose for treatment, and that we would not see him again. The next morning, Juan gathered the volunteers so that Marti could apologize. The “apology” was no apology at all: It consisted of Encar speaking about Marti’s mental health issues, and Marti complaining. One of the other volunteers told Marti that he needed to apologize to Sophie directly (all Marti had done until that point was say that he was embarrassed and depressed) but Marti refused, stating that he already had. Neither Marti or any of the members of that family ever denied Marti’s actions. He did, however, confirm her account by stating that he was disgusted with himself.
As Sophie stated in her original post, Marti was never sent to San Jose. Instead, he was hiding in his house, which is directly connected to the hostel where the assault happened and where Sophie was still living. It did not take us long to find out that Marti was still in the house. After we confronted Juan and Encar, they turned from unapologetic to angry. Encar said some horrible things to Sophie, which Sophie mentioned in her post. Encar also told me multiple times that Sophie “shouldn’t feel bad” because Marti didn’t know who was in the shower at the time. At the time, there were two teenage girls staying in the room. Does it really matter which of them he was trying to film?
It was clear to me and the other volunteers how terrifying it was for Sophie to see the man who had assaulted her on the property. On several occasions, we told Encar and Juan how hurtful having Marti on the property was for Sophie and they did nothing. Encar told us that Marti will be put back to work as soon as she feels it is right.
Encar posted an official statement after Sophie spoke up (Can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/PVForoAbierto/permalink/3491975527564601). The statement offers no apology and takes no responsibility. JRC made absolutely no public statement until Sophie forced them to with her post. They wanted to bury this incident as deeply as they could. The 4th point made in the statement is “In our 20 years of existence, we have NEVER had any complaints or have been involved in issues like this, which, we reiterate, condemn, and repudiate.” This is simply not true. Juan told us directly that things like this have happened before. If they lied about that, then what else are they lying about?
Before I end this post, I want to make it clear that this is not a reflection on the staff and volunteers at the Jaguar Rescue Center. Most of the people there are fantastic and I do not want anyone to think badly of them. I am also truly grateful for the support for Sophie on her original post.
Thank you all.
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JULIETTE CATALA
Hello everybody. My boyfriend and I volunteered at the JRC in november. We were not there when Sophie was filmed by Marti, but we arrived just after, and we can also confirm how badly the family who runs the Jaguar Inn and the JRC handled this situation. As Emmet said, everything has been done to hide what happened, even at the cost of the animals (for example, the family forbade some people who knew about the story to volunteer one more month, while members of the staff were overwhelmed by work).
I would add that I personally think that this situation is also the result of the non-separation between the two structures that are the JRC (a non-profit organization) and the Jaguar Inn (a business organization). It seems to me that this family thing blurs the line between work and private issues, which is not very professional and I think harmful for everybody, including the animals. If the separation between the two structures was clear, what happened to Sophie should have not affect the rescue center, the members of the staff who do an incredible work, and the animals.
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ADRIA DE ESPAÑA
Por lo que he visto en algunos comentarios hay gente que duda si lo que ha dicho Sophie es verdad o mentira, algo tan esperado como miserable. Estuve de voluntario, como muchos otros, cuando todo eso paso, así que hay mucha gente que puede respaldar esa historia. Ese post no va en contra del JRC ni del trabajo ni de los trabajadores (todo ello importante) , va en contra de la gestión, primero por obligar a hospedarse en ese hostel si se quiere hacer un voluntariado por el hecho de que lo lleva la familia, y segundo por la atención que se le dio a una voluntaria que acababa de ser grabada en la ducha. Espero que esto aclare a esa gente que esta dudando de ella o que se piensa que esto es en contra de los animales o de la labor que se hace en el centro.
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ELLEN:
Hello, I am Ellen and after reading what happened to Sophie at the JRC, I want to send her all my support and explain what happened to me there 2 years ago, as I think it is totally connected (maybe not to a specific person (i don’t know if it was Marty to be clear) but to the way the JRC handles sexual issues)
In 2018 I volunteered at the JRC for a month. During my last week I went to La Ceiba, the area up in the mountains where the volunteers spend their last days with the animals that are going to be released soon. A few days went by and one evening I found some of my underwear had been cut in the private parts. I told the manager. I was told they would take care of it but nothing happened.
A few days later, a worker from La Ceiba was fired, because before the incident with my underwear, he had physically assaulted one of the volunteers and was therefore suspect of being responsible for cutting my underwear. I never found out what happened to the volunteer or to this young man, but I assume they would have called the police in a situation like this.
After finding out what happened to Sophie, I spoke to other volunteers and learned from them that there are some male permanent volunteers and workers at the JRC that have regular sexual encounters with the new volunteers, and that this is known and permitted by the owner. I think a place that receives so many young women should offer the proper protection from this kind of situations, and provide a formal response in case of an aggression.
Bravo and thank you Sophie Hartop for your testimony.
PS : see enclosed the mail I send to the manager Morgane, at the time, where she acknowledge the facts (in french) with the photo of my cut underwear.
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RESPUESTA A ELLEN
Estimada Ellen,
Un gusto saludarle.
Para JRC, la seguridad física y mental de nuestros voluntarios es esencial, contamos con reglas de comportamiento y no toleramos el hostigamiento sexual de ninguna clase, ni entre voluntarios, ni mucho menos proveniente de nuestro personal.
Este tipo de comportamientos atentan contra nuestros valores como organización y, como lo hemos comunicado anteriormente, estamos trabajando en la creación de protocolos para el manejo más eficaz de este tipo de situaciones, porque en nuestra organización impera el sentimiento de ser cada vez mejores. Esto es necesario, porque a pesar de que todo lugar donde interactúan seres humanos hay espacio para este tipo de lamentables circunstancias, aunque sean aisladas, como organización debemos estar preparados para activar procesos que ayuden a proteger a la víctima de forma más efectiva y nuestra obligación es mejorar para estar a la altura de los más altos estándares que se esperan de una organización como la nuestra, que tiene como objetivo el bien común y la protección de la fauna silvestre.
Sobre el caso que nos menciona del 2018, contamos con documentación privada relacionada con el despido (documentos y comunicaciones), la cual en respeto por la ley costarricense de protección de la persona frente al tratamiento de datos personales (Ley № 8968) y el Código Penal (Sobre el secreto de las comunicaciones y documentos privados) no podemos publicar en internet.
Adicionalmente, que con los lamentables hechos vinculados con Sophie Hartop, tenemos que ser categóricos en afirmar que no hay relación alguna entre ambos casos. La persona que se busca vincular en ese momento (2018) no se encontraba en Costa Rica, de lo cual hay registros verificables. Es importante también aclarar que la persona involucrada no trabaja con nosotros desde que se dieron los hechos y tampoco vive ya en nuestra vivienda familiar, ni en Puerto Viejo. Por respeto a Sophie, más información sobre estos hechos se le comunicarán a ella de forma privada, en primera instancia.
Ellen, cuente con nuestro compromiso por fortalecer nuestros procesos que protejan aún más a las mujeres que puedan ser víctimas de este tipo de hechos.
Un fuerte abrazo, atentamente
Encar
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UNIDAS TALAMANCA COMUNICADO:
From UNIDAS TALAMANCA Women’s Collective we echo the complaint of the volunteer
Sophie Hartop, who on October 19, 2020 had her privacy violated by the nephew of the owner of Jaguar Rescue Center, who also managed the hostel where volunteers stay, Jaguar inn. He is accused of filming her while she was showering without her consent.
(You can read it here)
In addition, we repudiate the response and poor treatment of the victim by Jaguar Rescue Center after the assault occurred. JRC is completely void of policies that provide security, support, guidance and / or advice to the volunteers who work and stay there, who were involved in situations similar to the denounced.
The Jaguar Rescue Center issued a statement on Facebook, in which they failed to clarify how they responded with respect to the stalker who surprisingly, returned to the Rescue Center once Sophie the victim of the assault left. But thanks to social pressure, he has finally been removed from his job, we hope definitely.
As women, we are very concerned with what has happened to young women at the Jaguar Rescue Center. We are demanding a public statement from JRC explaining the facts and clearing up doubts about its policies and regulations within the institution, among its workers and volunteers, regarding the sexual harassment and sexual assault. As well, we want to see and action plan going forward, to serve as a guide in the future, help potential victims, and above all to avoid future attacks, intimidation and / or violence of this nature within the complex.
It should be noted that in 2018, another volunteer found several of her underwear pieces with cuts and holes in the intimate area. On that occasion, a worker was fired as a possible perpetrator because he had previously assaulted a volunteer. We would like to know why the workplace safety policies were not implemented in 2018 after the reported case, and if the case was reported to the police because this person is still living in town.
By statistics, it is known that when a case of this type comes to light, there are more.
Sophie contacted UNIDAS TALAMANCA, where she received all our guidance, support, and accompaniment.
She filed a complaint with the corresponding judicial bodies, because in a situation like this, the victim is supported by the law and can report her harasser. We also have from the beginning helped manage a relationship between the victim and the community judicial facilitator, who is in direct contact with the Bribri misdemeanor court.
Every woman has the right to intimacy, rights to privacy, and the rights to the ownership of images of her body. We have the rights to live a life free of violence; rights that are protected by the Costa Rican Penal Code, as well as multiple international laws. In the interest of preserving the integrity of our community, cases like this must have our full support.
We hope that the Jaguar Rescue Center will respond publicly for the peace of all. And it is worth mentioning that this statement does not intend to discredit, in any way, the work that the Jaguar Rescue Center does for the preservation and care of the wild animals in the area.
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RESPUESTA AL COMUNICADO DE UNIDAS
Señoras, Colectivo Unidas Talamanca,
Desde Jaguar Rescue Center aplaudimos las luchas sociales que buscan promover la justicia, la equidad y la seguridad, principalmente cuando se trata de la seguridad de las mujeres partes de nuestra comunidad o de nuestra familia (voluntarias, y personal de Jaguar Rescue Center).
La misión del Colectivo UNIDAS TALAMANCA es loable por la gran importancia que tiene para nuestra comunidad la generación de conciencia sobre el respeto por la integridad sexual, libertad, dignidad y privacidad de toda mujer. Por lo anterior, comprendemos su interés porque se aclaren muchas de las circunstancias relacionadas con la denuncia. Sin embargo, por la importancia de la discusión de temas de interés comunitario y en justicia con la imagen de nuestro centro de rescate, para nosotros es importante que se aclaren elementos imprecisos y/o falsos que se han utilizado:
+ No es cierto que la persona señalada regresó a sus funciones en nuestras instalaciones: lo que sí es cierto es que, por recomendación médica, regresó a la vivienda familiar, más no a sus funciones en las instalaciones (centro y/u hostel) (En la actualidad, la persona tampoco reside en Puerto Viejo).
A su vez, es importante comunicar las medidas tomadas, a raíz de la situación:
Se le brindó apoyo a la víctima (Este proceso que se llevó a cabo está siendo analizado por profesionales para mejorarlo).
Se retiró de sus funciones a la persona señalada, la cual no volvió a ser incorporada a estas en el centro y/u hostel.
Se selló el espacio que fue señalado como el aprovechado para los hechos que fueron denunciados, con el fin de fortalecer la seguridad y evitar así que circunstancias similares sucedan en el futuro.
Con el consentimiento de la persona señalada y en presencia de la víctima, de manera casi inmediata, se procedió a revisar sus dispositivos electrónicos y no se encontró ningún documento relacionado con la víctima, ni otras personas.
En los últimos días nos comunicamos con Sophie para brindarle una actualización con todo lo que ha pasado, nos pusimos a sus órdenes y nos comprometimos en la lucha por un ambiente más seguro para las mujeres.
Sobre el caso del 2018.
Sobre el caso que nos menciona del 2018, tuvimos que hacer una investigación interna para encontrar detalles sobre el mismo y derivado de eso contamos con documentación privada relacionada con el despido (documentos y comunicaciones), la cual en respeto por la ley costarricense de protección de la persona frente al tratamiento de datos personales (Ley № 8968) y el Código Penal (Sobre el secreto de las comunicaciones y documentos privados) no podemos publicar en internet.
Sin embargo, sí podemos comentar que no tenemos conocimiento de denuncia judicial alguna con respecto dicho caso y tampoco sobre la ubicación de la persona que usted nos comenta.
Protección a futuro.
Ya finalizamos la redacción de la normativa interna para crear ambientes más seguros para las mujeres.
Realizamos un acercamiento de apoyo al INAMU para la revisión de nuestra normativa interna y capacitación, con el fin de cumplir los más altos estándares en la creación de ambientes seguros para mujeres.
Pronto se publicará en nuestro sitio web.
Jaguar Rescue Center tiene un compromiso con Costa Rica, por los objetivos y misión que tiene como organización, los cuales no puede cumplir sin brindarle, a su vez, un ambiente seguro a las mujeres, por lo que se compromete a compartir con otras organizaciones sus protocolos para que puedan ser incorporados por estas para así generar un impacto a nivel nacional en el camino hacia un lugar más seguro para las mujeres del mundo.
Saludos cordiales,
Encar Garcia
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