Colombia and Panama do not protect migrants who pass through the Darién Gap, the dense forest with many fords to cross and which acts as a border

ROMA – A new report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) sheds light on the abuses and dangers faced by migrants crossing the Darien Gap, a region thick with forests and fords that marks the border between Colombia and Panama, between Central and South America. “Whatever the reason for their journey, migrants and asylum seekers passing through the Darién Gap have the right to basic safety,” writes Juanita Goebertus, the organization’s director for the Americas. “Colombian and Panamanian authorities should do more to guarantee the rights of people on the move and local communities who have been living in a state of abandonment for years.”

The rights of those who migrate and those who remain. The operators of Human Rights Watch They visited the Darién Gap four times between April 2022 and June 2023 and interviewed nearly 300 people, including migrants and asylum seekers, victims of serious abuse, humanitarian workers and officials from the Colombian and Panamanian governments. Research has shown that on both sides of the border, authorities are failing to protect the right to life and physical integrity of migrants and asylum seekers in transit, or to investigate violations in a timely and thorough manner. Efforts to guarantee access to food, water and essential health services are inadequate and thus the fundamental rights of both migrants and local communities suffering from marginalization, poverty and lack of opportunities are systematically undermined. Crimes against migrants and asylum seekers in the Darién Gap, including those related to sexual violence, go largely unpunished whether they occur within the Colombian or Panamanian border: there is a lack of resources to investigate and there is a lack of coordination between authorities two countries.

Doctors Without Borders. On March 4, 2024, the government of Panama suspended the work of Doctors Without Borders in the country because – he declared – the agreement with the humanitarian group would end in December. However, the organization had been looking for a renewal since last October. Doctors Without Borders played a leading role in assisting people along the Darien route. “Limiting MSF’s work is exactly the opposite of what needs to be done if we want to address the situation in the Darién Gap,” writes HRW. “Panamanian authorities should urgently review this decision to ensure the rights of people on the move, including victims of sexual violence.”

And give. In 2023, over half a million people crossed the Darién Gap, including 113,000 children. Panama believes that the number of people crossing the border will likely be even higher in 2024 because there has already been a notable increase between January and February compared to the previous year. While traveling through this dangerous and treacherous territory, fleeing Venezuelans, Haitians, Ecuadorians, as well as people from Asia and Africa, generally suffer severe abuse, including of a sexual nature. From 2021 to today, over 1,500 migrants have reported to Doctors Without Borders of having been victims of rape and other types of violence, but the numbers are likely to be higher. Yet between January 2021 and December 2023, Panama’s attorney general’s office reported only 285 cases of sex-related crimes. Hundreds have currently lost their lives or are missing in an attempt to cross the border. L’International Organization for Migration (OIM) reports that 245 people disappeared between 2021 and March 2023, but even in this case it is likely that the real figure is higher.

Panama to Colombia. HRW researchers found that the Colombian government has no official strategy to protect the rights of migrants and asylum seekers crossing the Darién Gap. The limited presence of the authorities in this region effectively leaves people unprotected from threats Gulf Clan, an armed group involved in drug trafficking that controls the flow of migrants and asylum seekers for profit. The Panamanian government instead seems to aim at limiting the free movement of migrants and asylum seekers within the country and at the possibility of rejecting them towards Costa Rica, while it does not address their needs or their right to request political asylum, HRW complaint. Both countries, by mutual agreement, should appoint a special advisor to coordinate the response to the increase in migratory flow through the Darién Gap – writes the organization – and strengthen cooperation with United Nations agencies and other non-governmental organizations present on the territory to protect the lives and rights of people on the move.