MuniGuate
Intecap
Herbalife
Instituto Hondureño de Turismo
Cubasol
Cervecería Centroamericana S.A.
Servicios Médicos Cubanos
MITM Events
INTERFER
CUN-HAV Enjoy Travel Group
Barceló Solymar
Agexport
AVA Resorts
Nestle
INOR
Realidad Turística
blackanddecker
Centro Nacional de Cirugía de Mínimo Acceso de Cuba
MAD-HAV Enjoy Travel Group
Grupo Hotelero Islazul
Walmart
Los Portales

Colombia And Panama Failing to Protect Migrants in Darien Gap: HRW

Date:

Share:

INOR
Intecap
MITM Events
blackanddecker
Cervecería Centroamericana S.A.
Nestle
Realidad Turística
Grupo Hotelero Islazul
Los Portales
INTERFER
Herbalife
Instituto Hondureño de Turismo
Centro Nacional de Cirugía de Mínimo Acceso de Cuba
AVA Resorts
Servicios Médicos Cubanos

Human Rights Watch has urged the two countries to ensure the safety of people crossing the dangerous migration route.

Colombia and Panama have failed to protect hundreds of thousands of migrants and asylum seekers crossing a dangerous yet popular jungle migration route between the two countries, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has said.

In a report on Wednesday, the rights group said the Colombian and Panamanian authorities have not protected people transiting through the Darien Gap or adequately investigated abuses that have taken place there, including sexual violence.

“Whatever the reason for their journey, migrants and asylum seekers crossing the Darien Gap are entitled to basic safety and respect for their human rights along the way,” Juanita Goebertus, HRW’s Americas director, said in a statement.

“Colombian and Panamanian authorities can and should do more to ensure the rights of migrants and asylum seekers crossing their countries, as well as of local communities that have experienced years of neglect.”

Connecting South and Central America, the Darien Gap is a dangerous route rife with natural hazards, including insects, snakes, and unpredictable terrain. Its landscape ranges from steep mountains to dense jungles and strong rivers.

Criminal groups also operate in the area, and robberies, extortion, and other forms of violence are widespread.

Despite these dangers, it has become an extremely popular migration pathway for migrants and asylum seekers fleeing violence, socioeconomic crises, and other hardships in their home countries. Many hope to travel north to reach the United States.

The number of people passing through the area has repeatedly broken records, as migration northwards increases. More than 520,000 migrants and asylum seekers crossed the Darien Gap last year, more than double the total from 2022, according to figures from Panama’s government.

Of those who crossed in 2023, more than 60 percent were from Venezuela, which has experienced a mass exodus amid years of socio-economic and political upheaval. Others were from nations across South America, the Caribbean, Asia and Africa.

In its report, HRW said the Colombian government’s limited presence in the Darien Gap allows migrants and asylum seekers “to be preyed upon” by members of a drug-trafficking group known as the Gulf Clan.

The group “controls the movement of migrants and asylum seekers and profits from their desperation and vulnerability”, the rights group said.

HRW urged the Colombian authorities to investigate the Gulf Clan’s role in taking people across the Darien Gap. It also called on Bogota to devote more resources to the protection of migrants and to probe alleged abuses.

But HRW’s report said that “most of the abuses in the Darien Gap, including robberies and sexual violence, occur in Panamanian territory”.

Panama has implemented a so-called “controlled flow” strategy to respond to the surge in Darien Gap crossings. Under the policy, it has established migrant reception centers and allows people to board buses to Costa Rica.

HRW on Wednesday criticized the scheme for imposing restrictions on people’s ability to seek asylum and limiting humanitarian protections.

“It appears focused on channeling and restricting migrants’ and asylum seekers’ movement through Panama and ensuring that they cross to Costa Rica promptly, rather than responding to their immediate needs or providing them opportunities to file asylum applications in Panama,” its report said.

The organization urged Panama’s government to modify its strategy.

It also said the country should appoint a senior official to oversee its response to the Darien Gap in coordination with the United Nations and other humanitarian groups. ( https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/4/3/colombia-and-panama-failing-to-protect-migrants-in-darien-gap-hrw)

Cervecería Centroamericana S.A.
blackanddecker
Intecap
MITM Events
Los Portales
INTERFER
Servicios Médicos Cubanos
MAD-HAV Enjoy Travel Group
AVA Resorts
Walmart
Instituto Hondureño de Turismo
Nestle
Agexport
CUN-HAV Enjoy Travel Group
Cubasol
Realidad Turística
Centro Nacional de Cirugía de Mínimo Acceso de Cuba
Herbalife
Barceló Solymar
Grupo Hotelero Islazul
MuniGuate
INOR
Hotel Barcelo Solymar
AirEuropa
INTERFER
Hotel Holiday Inn Guatemala
Barcelo Guatemala City
Maggi - GLUTEN-FREE
Blue Diamond Resorts
Revista Colombiana de Turismo Passport
Havanatur
Henkel Latinoamerica
Cubacel
Intecap
MuniGuate

Subscribe to our magazine

━ more like this

Pole Dancing in Israel: A New Dimension with BlueDance.co.il

In recent years, pole dancing has experienced a remarkable transformation, shifting from a misunderstood niche to a popular activity combining fitness, self-expression, and empowerment....

A New Luxury Hotel Just Opened on An Idyllic Beach in Cancun, Mexico — And We Were the First to Stay

Waldorf Astoria Cancun opened to the public on Nov. 1, the brand's first new build in Mexico, with two waterfront pools and a fantastic...

Nicaragua Presents Its New Interoceanic Canal Route to China and Seeks to Compete with Panama

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes With a length of 445 kilometers, in a second attempt, the Nicaraguan president, Daniel Ortega, presents China with a new...

US Lawmakers Join Requests to Extend TPS To Central Americans

The chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Robert Menendez, along with other legislators gathered outside the Capitol this Thursday to express his...

Barbados Airport Receives 54 Flights in One Day

On Saturday, December 21, 54 planes arrived at Barbados’ Grantley Adams International Airport (GAIA), marking a historic milestone for the airport and the tourism...
Hotel Holiday Inn Guatemala
Blue Diamond Resorts
Henkel Latinoamerica
Intecap
Barcelo Guatemala City
Cubacel
Maggi - GLUTEN-FREE
Revista Colombiana de Turismo Passport
AirEuropa
Havanatur
Hotel Barcelo Solymar
INTERFER

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Instituto Hondureño de Turismo
Herbalife
Intecap
Agexport
Nestle
Grupo Hotelero Islazul
Realidad Turística
MuniGuate
Cervecería Centroamericana S.A.
MAD-HAV Enjoy Travel Group
Servicios Médicos Cubanos
Barceló Solymar
blackanddecker
MITM Events
INTERFER
Centro Nacional de Cirugía de Mínimo Acceso de Cuba
Walmart
Cubasol
INOR
Los Portales
AVA Resorts