Between January and May of this year, more than 15,000 migrants from all over the world crossed through the dangerous Darién Gap from Colombia into Panama. By the time migrants reach this particularly difficult passage, most have already been on the road for weeks or months. Not only is the crossing physically grueling and risky, but people also experience being attacked, robbed, and sexually assaulted on the route.
In May, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) began medical and mental health care in Bajo Chiquito, the first town migrants enter after reaching Panama, as well as in the migrant reception centers in San Vicente and Lajas Blancas.