ReliefWeb

Executive Summary

Urban violence, restricted access to formal markets, the lack of safe spaces and quality skills training programs, and disrupted education challenge the economic resiliency of Colombian refugee and asylee female and male youth in Panama’s urban centers.

UNHCR estimates that there are 17,000 refugees in Panama. While nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) estimate 75,000 Colombians are in Panama who need international protection,1 only 2,500 persons of concern are registered with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Panama is a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention and the 1967 Protocol; however, a cumbersome asylum process approves only two percent of asylum applications.

Key Findings

Most Colombians reside in poor, high-crime neighborhoods because of poverty, and live in fear of deportation and gang violence. Women and young girls are routinely harassed.

To survive, youth work in the informal sector, employed in family-run businesses, in petty trade or in short-term, low-wage jobs. Young women work and have multiple household and child care responsibilities, which often limit their access to income-generating activities, restrict their social interactions and place them in a more difficult financial position. They are often found in lower-paying jobs, such as domestic work, beauty salons, waitressing in restaurants or food preparation.

While education is accessible for those with the proper school documentation and for those who can cover direct costs, youth from struggling families need to work to survive. Those from better-off families, despite their level of education, have few economic opportunities as potential employers and banks often reject refugee IDs and work permits. Government and nongovernmental programs to support Colombians are few, do not link to programs for other at-risk groups and are not gender sensitive or youth inclusive.