And UNICEF confirmed in a statement, Monday, that the number of children who crossed the “Darren Gap” area is three times that of their peers who crossed it over the past five years.
One in five migrants crossing the border is children, the organization added, and half of them are under the age of 5.
In 2021, UNICEF said, at least five children were found dead in the bush, and more than 150 children arrived in Panama without their parents, some of them newborns, five times more than last year.
“Deep in the woods, there are dangers of armed robbery, rape and human smuggling, as well as predators, insects and a lack of safe drinking water,” said Jane Gogh, UNICEF Regional Director.
“Week after week more children are dying, losing their parents or being separated from their relatives on this perilous journey,” she added.
In early 2021, the authorities in Panama warned of a potential disaster after opening a border that had been closed for months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Darien Gap is a dense tropical forest separating Panama and Colombia and is the most dangerous in the South American continent.
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