In transit through the inhospitable jungle of Darién, this year 40,458 migrant children have passed (21,135 boys and 19,323 girls), exposed to the dangers of mighty rivers, steep hills, ravines and the habitat of dangerous jaguars and snakes poisonous.
The Ministry of Security reports that according to statistical figures provided by the National Migration Service, in the last four years 612,705 people have passed through the Colombian-Panamanian border and of these, 20% are children, that is, 120,000 minors. forced to migrate, some with their parents, relatives and even alone.
The Minister of Public Security of Panama, Juan Pino said that there is a lot of concern because they are migrant children from their social environment and taken from their schools to make a dangerous journey, where they are exposed to criminal groups.
For her part, the Director of the National Migration Service Samira Gozaine also referred to migrant children. “Some have not sat in an educational center for two or three years and others, along this route, are victims of crimes against their integrity, suffer from inclement weather, suffer from hunger, cold, fear or are separated from their parents in the jungle,” he said.
This harsh testimonial reality has been collected for 48 months by the director of the National Migration Service, Samira Gozaine, who points out that there are testimonies from people who have found abandoned children and others next to the corpse of their mothers.
“No doubt. Of all these testimonies that we have collected, organized crime is the only beneficiary, it encourages and encourages irregular migration through the Darién jungle and other routes,” added director Gozaine.
He added that Panama does not generate irregular migration nor is it a participant in it, however, humanitarian treatment has been given to those who are inside the border and “we will continue to do so while we seek alternative means, so that these people can get where they want to go, but in a safe and dignified way.
The Government of the Republic of Panama, through the Ministry of Security, the National Border Service, the National Migration Service and the National Air and Naval Service reiterate the message that Darién is not a route.
