The number of children crossing the dangerous Darien jungle on the Panama-Colombia border to reach USA seven times in January and February compared to the same period last year, Unicef ​​said yesterday, Thursday.

“Our teams on the ground have never seen so many children traversing the Panamanian jungle, alone or with their parents,” said Gary Connell, UNICEF Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean from Panama.

Between January and February 2023, about 9,700 juveniles crossed the swampy and mountainous jungles of Darien, compared with 1,400 during the same period in 2022, according to the UN agency.

“This is the highest figure ever recorded in the two months since records were kept,” Unicef ​​added.

The increase in the number of migrant children is mainly due to inequality and unemployment, as well as school absenteeism due to the pandemic, explained Laurent Divier, UNICEF consultant.

Mosquitoes, reptiles and … criminals lie in wait

In addition, at least 200 children crossed the jungle during these two months alone, five times more than last year.

“This group worries us because unaccompanied children are at increased risk of falling into the hands of traffickers and criminal networks,” Divye said.

In addition, these minors are “particularly vulnerable to violence, exploitation, child labor and various abuses.”

The Darien Jungle is an irregular migration route from Latin America to the United States through Central America.

This 5,750,000-hectare forest has no road network, is full of mosquitoes and reptiles, dangerous canyons, and is being ravaged by criminal organizations.

In January and February 2023, about 50,000 people crossed the jungle, one in five of whom were minors. During 2022, about 250,000 migrants made this dangerous journey.

Most of these immigrants come from Haiti, Venezuela and Ecuador.

^{Source: APE-MEB, AFP.}