Traffic of children through the Darién jungle towards the US continues to rise

The number of children who cross the road accompanied and in some cases alone dangerous Darien jungleon the border between Panama and Colombia, heading towards the United States continues to rise, which requires a rapid response and financing to address this migration drama, UNICEF indicated.

In an analysis released on Tuesday, the United Nations children’s agency indicated that in the first four months of the year more than 30,000 children have crossed the Darien Gap, an increase of 40% compared to the same period in 2023.

That figure is part of the more than 139,000 foreigners who have taken that route so far in 2024, most of them Venezuelans, Haitians, Chinese and Ecuadorians.

UNICEF said that based on trends observed in the first four months and the regional context, it is estimated that 800,000 migrants, including 160,000 children and adolescents, could cross the jungle this year and that many of them will likely need humanitarian assistance.

“With children making up one-fifth of those making this journey, UNICEF’s presence and response is more important than ever,” said UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Ted Chaiban. “Many children have died on this arduous and dangerous journey.”

Last year half a million foreigners crossed the Darién, a record number, and of them more than 130,000 were minors, according to statistics from the National Immigration Service of Panama.

The UNICEF report comes as Panama’s president-elect, José Raúl Mulino, has broadly launched his plan to end this irregular flow through the Darien once he takes power on July 1.

Mulino has warned that he would order repatriations of those who insist on traveling through that jungle area on their route to North America.

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