Human Rights Watch: Americas: Migrants Pushed to Cross Darién Gap, Abused

Map image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

A new Human Rights Watch report (This Hell Was My Only Option’: Abuses Against Migrants and Asylum Seekers Pushed to Cross the Darién Gap) is the first in a series of reports on migration via the Darién Gap. Human Rights Watch found that restrictions on movement from South American countries to Mexico and Central America, often promoted by the U.S. government, have helped contribute to sharp increases in numbers of people crossing the Darién Gap, exposing migrants to abuses, including sexual violence, and empowers organized crime in the region.

Some bullet points from the report:

• Movement restrictions, often promoted by the United States, have pushed migrants and asylum seekers to cross the Darién Gap, exposing them to abuse and empowering organized crime.
• The devastating stories of abuses of people who try to cross the Darién Gap are the result of failed immigration policies that push people into danger.
• Governments in the Americas should take steps towards ensuring rights-respecting immigration policies, including by increasing safe and legal pathways for migration and ensuring access to asylum.

KJ