Migration from Panama to Darien atrocity: “All states are complicit”
Panama City, May 19 (EFE).- Countries that “allow” migrants, especially minors, to expose themselves to the danger of crossing the Darien jungle, the natural border between Panama and Colombia, are “complicit” in these inhumane situations, according to Panama’s director of immigration, Samira Gozain told EFE on Friday.
“There are stories from people who say mothers throw their children into the river because it’s hard to carry them when (…) the hills get too thick and they can’t go on, they just leave it to fate. All states that allow this are complicit in this reality,” said Gozain.
Migrants crossing the Darien, one of the world’s most dangerous migration crossings, face the natural risks inherent in the jungle, but in addition, many report being victims of rape, extortion and robbery.
This jungle, which borders Panama and Colombia, has been used for years by migrants from all over the world heading to the US, many of them mobilized by transnational trafficking networks, an illegal million-dollar business.
This year, from January to April alone, more than 145,000 migrants crossed the jungle, which is 6 times more than the same period in 2022, which closed with a record number of more than 248,000 people in transit.
The migration director noted that on his last visit to Darien, he saw “newborn babies” and heard stories of migrants claiming to have been “tricked” into crossing the jungle.
“It’s time to talk about the ugly side of this protected migration.” (It’s) very unclear, it’s no longer migration by people who are really escaping worse situations. They say that if they had known about the situation, they would not have crossed,” added Gozain.
He also criticized the situation, which he was told by a “Venezuelan” that “the authorities of international organizations in Colombia are giving her a pill because they are going to rape her and not to get pregnant.”
“Organized crime beat us by the rules of the international game, and they made this business so profitable that we don’t know how many institutions they penetrated,” said the director, who participated in the beginning of the XXXVII Ordinary Assembly. Parliament of Latin America and the Caribbean (Parlatino).
“I believe that this irregular and illegal migration, which violates the rights of children, must be stopped,” concluded Gozain, who called on countries to address the migration flow.
Source: El Diario
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