UN concerned at vulnerability of migrants crossing Darien Gap

“We are very concerned about the risk faced and vulnerability in which an unprecedented number of migrants and refugees find themselves as they cross the Darien Gap said a statement by Marta Hurtado, spokeswoman for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

According to Hurtado, migrants and refugees are exposed to multiple human rights violations and abuses during their journey, including sexual violence, which poses a particular risk to children, women, LGBTIQ+ people, and people with disabilities “Migrants walk an average of between four and seven days in of the dry months, although this figure increases to ten during the nine months that the rainy season lasts,” Hurtado said.

According to the organization, despite the efforts of the Panamanian authorities to set up several reception centers, the high migratory flow has made it impossible for migrants to receive the attention they require when they arrive at the Isthmus.

According to the spokesperson, humanitarian assistance in both Panama and Costa Rica continues to be limited in dealing with the situation, something that “worsens precarious living conditions” and increases people’s vulnerability.

For the UN Human Rights office, it is a process that needs help in several areas, since the factors that force people to leave their homes and undertake these trips for a more dignified and secure life must be restructured.

“Addressing migration challenges requires collective efforts and solutions at the regional and international level,” the spokesperson stressed.

So far this year, more than 330,000 people have already crossed this 575,000-hectare region between Colombia and Panama, the highest annual figure recorded to date, compared to the 248,000 people who did so in 2022, according to data. of the National Immigration Service.