Alerted by a damning report from the UN in December, the government of Panama launched an investigation into the reception of migrants while the country is an almost obligatory passage for North America.
Migrants sequestered in reception centres, prohibited from leaving until they are transferred to the Costa Rican border; precarious and unsanitary living conditions in these centers, without food or access to drinking water or health services. In December, the UN published a damning report on the reception of migrants in Panama and issued a 60-day ultimatum, forcing local authorities to launch an investigation into these reception conditions.
On the road to North America, some migrants find themselves in Panama unable to pay for transportation to cross the Costa Rican border. And Panamanian officials are accused of profiting from it.
Sexual violence and forced labor
Complaints have been filed about the reception center in San Vincent, on the border with Colombia. There, officials are said to have asked women and young girls to pay with their bodies. Sexual violence on the one hand, but also forced labor as the only way for these migrants to continue their journey. But when they report abuse, migrants must stay in the reception center where they were mistreated, while the investigation is carried out. A dangerous situation that ends up discouraging victims from filing a complaint.
According to the Panamanian government, nearly 250,000 migrants and refugees crossed the country in 2022, compared to some 133,000 in 2021.
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