PANAMA CITY (Reuters) – Panama’s government rejected accusations it violated the human rights of U.S.-bound migrants who cross into the country irregularly through the dangerous jungle of the Darien Gap, the country’s security ministry said on Monday.
El Pais newspaper said late last week a United Nations document sent to Panama’s government alleged that the country’s officials sexually abused migrants crossing the Darien.
The document included accusations of forced labor and people deprived of their liberty at migration checkpoints, it said.
Panama’s security ministry in a statement rejected “in the strongest terms” the allegations it said were attempts to “undermine” the humanitarian work of Panamanian agencies and international organizations to help migrants crossing into Central America from Colombia.
The ministry said the government would “carry out the pertinent investigations.”
Panama has requested help from other countries in Latin America in recent years to deal with organized crime and human smugglers profiting from the growing flow of migrants traveling from South America.
Last year, a record 248,000 migrants crossed the Darien Gap, largely Venezuelans. New, stricter U.S. migration policy has resulted in many being returned to Panama, where they often cannot afford transportation back to Venezuela.
In a clarifying statement, the United Nations said the document cited by El Pais was a “letter of allegations” from various sources. It said it typically presents such claims to the relevant states asking for clarification.
“Competent authorities may be sought to take measures to prevent or put an end to the alleged violations,” the U.N. statement added.
(Reporting by Elida Moreno; Writing by Sarah Morland; Editing by Richard Chang)
