The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said the number of migrant children crossing the Darien Gap, a jungled portion of land separating Colombia from Central America, increased more than seven-fold to nearly 4,000 in 2019 from 522 the year before.
UNICEF said approximately 50 per cent of the children were under six years old. Migrants who crossed in 2019 hailed from more than 50 different countries including India, Somalia, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Bangladesh.
The findings are based on data from national migration services.
UNICEF warned of the grave risks facing migrant children and their families who make this perilous journey. Risks include no access to safe water, as well as exposure to natural hazards, dangerous animals, robbery, abuse and exploitation.
UNICEF said migrants arriving to Panama after crossing the Darien Gap are received at the Migrant Reception Station (ERM) shelter of La Peñita in Darien Province, one of the least developed provinces of Panama. They are then transported by Migration Authorities to the ERM of Los Planes in Chiriqui Province at the border with Costa Rica. The Fund added that most will continue northwards, hoping to reach the United States or Canada~UNICEF
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