Colombia and Panama have abandoned migrants in the Darién Gap: HRW

Hundreds of thousands of migrants crossing the dangerous Darién Gap have been practically abandoned to their fate by the authorities of Colombia and Panama.

That's the central conclusion of a new report from Human Rights Watch (HRW) in which they document the numerous abuses, and the poor assistance, that millions of migrants suffer daily in their transit through both countries.

The 120-page report, titled “Abandoned in the jungle: protection and assistance for migrants and asylum seekers in the Darién Gap”is the result of four field visits to the area, dozens of interviews with both victims and authorities and an analysis of public documents in both nations.

The key themes of this news:

“Whatever the reason for their travel, migrants and asylum seekers crossing the Darien Gap have the right to minimum conditions of safety and full respect for their human rights during their journey. Colombia and Panama can and must do more to protect those rights, as well as those of local communities. who have suffered years of state neglect,” said Juanita Goebertus, director of the Americas Division of Human Rights Watch, commenting on the results of the investigation.

Whatever the reason for their travel, migrants and asylum seekers crossing the Darien Gap have the right to minimum safety conditions and full respect for their human rights during their journey.

According to HRW, during 2023 the transit through Darién of at least half a million people was documented, including 113,000 childrengirls and adolescents and they expect that number to grow even more in 2024.

Since then, both authorities and the NGO have reported dozens of crimes, including rape, sexual, disappearance of people and all series of abuses committed by criminal groups that operate in the area.

“Human Rights Watch identified that, on both sides of the border, authorities do not effectively protect the right to life and physical integrity of migrants and asylum seekers in transit, nor do they investigate violations of their rights effectively, quickly. and exhaustive,” the report says.

Crimes against migrants are not investigated or punished

Likewise, it points out that efforts to guarantee access to food, water and basic health services have been insufficient, affecting the rights of both the migrant population and those of local communities that have been marginalized for years and have suffered high rates of poverty and lack of opportunities.

According to the organization, crimes against migrants and asylum seekers are neither investigated nor punished.: “Accountability for these abuses is rare, due to a combination of limited resources and personnel, the lack of a criminal investigation strategy, and poor coordination between Colombian and Panamanian authorities,” the report maintains.

HRW simultaneously expressed strong criticism against the Panamanian government for its recent decision to suspend the work that the organization Doctors Without Borders (MSF) had been doing in the area.

“Restricting MSF's work is exactly the opposite of what is needed to address the situation in the Darien Gap. “Panamanian authorities must urgently reconsider this decision to guarantee the rights of migrants and asylum seekers, including victims of sexual violence,” Goebertus noted.

According to the report, which cites statistics from the MSF and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), More than 1,300 complaints of sexual violation and almost 250 cases of missing persons have been documented between 2021 and 2023.

The complaints, they maintain, would be only the “tip of the iceberg”, since in many cases they are not being reported.

Colombia lacks a strategy to guarantee the rights of migrants in Darién

In the specific case of Colombia, HRW concludes that Colombia lacks a clear strategy to guarantee the rights of migrants and asylum seekers who cross the Darien Gap.

“The scant state presence in the region leaves these people in the hands of the Clan del Golfo, an armed group heavily involved in drug trafficking, which controls the flow of migrants and asylum seekers and benefits from their desperation and vulnerability,” the report states. .

For its part, the Panamanian government applies a “controlled flow” strategy that appears focused on restricting the movement of these people within Panama and ensuring that they quickly reach their destination. Costa Rica, rather than addressing their needs or ensuring they can apply for shelter.

HRW asks governments like the United States for greater commitment

HRW, after highlighting that the situation in the Darien Gap “requires a broader effort from the entire region,” questions other governments for adopting immigration measures that are exacerbating the situation. In particular, the United States and the policies that restrict access to refuge and that end up pushing these people to cross through dangerous places like the Darien.

“The United States and the governments of the region should not leave Colombia and Panama alone to face the challenges of the Darien Gap. Instead, they should support efforts aimed at assisting and protecting migrants and asylum seekers, and should offer options to ensure that no one is forced to risk their lives in the jungle,” says Goebertus.”

The report includes a series of recommendations both for Colombia and Panama and for the countries of the region.

From the outset, they say, Colombia and Panama should appoint a senior official or advisor in charge of coordinating the response to the increase in migration through the Darien Gap.

It is also urgent that they strengthen bilateral cooperation and with United Nations agencies and other humanitarian organizations that operate in the area.

“Both governments should work with humanitarian organizations and local communities to establish a joint mechanism for the rescue of missing people in the Darién Gap and for the identification and recovery of the bodies of people who died in the jungle,” the report states.

Also, they maintain, it is necessary to redouble efforts to prevent, investigate and punish sexual violence against migrants and asylum seekers, increasing forensic capacity in the region, prioritizing the investigations of these cases and addressing the obstacles that make it difficult for victims. report crimes.

In parallel, governments should expand their work with humanitarian organizations to expand medical and psychological assistance to victims.

This is the second report presented by HRW on the situation in Darien in the last four months.

In its first installment (November 2023) the organization documented how United States policies are aggravating the situation in the area and strengthening the power of Clan del Golfo, which benefits from charging fees to migrants. According to this investigation, this criminal group would have raised almost 60 million dollars in this way between January and October of last year.

SERGIO GÓMEZ MASERI – EL TIEMPO Correspondent -WASHINGTON