Migrant children sexually abused in ‘rape tents’ while crossing deadly Darien Gap

Hundreds of migrants trekking to the US have reportedly been sexually assaulted — including children abused in so-called “rape tents”.

Illegal immigrants from Haiti stand at a gap in the US-Mexico border wall after having travelled from South America to the United States, in Yuma, Arizona, on December 10, 2021. Picture: John Moore/Getty Images/AFP

WARNING: Distressing content

Hundreds of migrants have reportedly been sexually assaulted while trekking through the deadly Darien Gap jungle in Panama on their way to the United States’ southern border — including a number of children abused in so-called “rape tents”, the NY Post reports.

Doctors Without Borders — a non-profit also known as Médecins Sans Frontières — said in a new report that its members had treated nearly 400 victims of sexual assault in the Darien Gap in 2023 alone, according to Border Report.

Much of the danger springs from groups of armed brigands who roam the wilderness, kidnapping, robbing and raping those who are attempting to pass through, the report said. “They beat me on my legs with a bat, because those of us who had no money were beaten,” a Venezuelan victim said, according to the group.

“Those who said they didn’t have any money, but when searched were found to have some, were hurt even more.”

A Venezuelan migrant is helped by a member of Panama’s border patrol in Darien province. Picture: Luis Acosta/AFP

The woman described seeing “many people” raped and beaten in this way by the gang members.

The Darien Gap has long been considered the most treacherous part of the extremely dangerous journey from South America to the US border.

The 60-mile (100 kilometre) stretch of rugged jungle that links Colombia to Central America often takes about six days to traverse — and its dense foliage cloaks bandits, wild animals and rushing rivers that threaten to kill migrants long before they can reach the US to apply for asylum.

Drug runners use the same trails to traffic narcotics, and the armed groups patrol the boundaries of the lawless jungle.

A Venezuelan girl and her mother arrive at Canaan Membrillo village, the first border control of Darien province. Picture: Luis Acosta/AFP

Doctors Without Borders has asked regional governments to boost the law enforcement presence to deter sexual violence against the migrants.

In October alone, the group helped 107 victims of sexual abuse — including 59 in one week, Border Report said.

“Sexual violence has consequences for people’s physical and psychological health, such as sexually transmitted infections that can affect women’s fertility if not treated in time,” said Carmenza Gálvez, the group’s medical co-ordinator.

“It can expose them to HIV infection, with the consequent risk of infecting others. It can cause physical trauma, unwanted pregnancies, social isolation, feelings of guilt, recurrent thoughts about the events experienced, depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, insomnia, and the risk of substance abuse, and it increases the risk of facing sexual violence in the future.”

Men who try to help victimised women are often punished accordingly.

Migrants from Honduras walk across Guatemala on their way to Mexico. Picture: Josue Decavele/Getty Images

“Some young men were also beaten and thrown onto the ground for trying to defend the women,” said the Venezuelan woman.

“They killed a boy in front of us with a shot to the forehead. They say it is their land, that you have to respect it, and that whoever passes through there must pay. And if you pay or don’t pay, they do it anyway. They’ll abuse whoever they want. They have even raped men.”

The “rape tents” are set up for that purpose, the group said.

Some victims are children — the organisation said it recently helped three rape victims who were just 11, 12 and 16 years old.

Often the crimes go unreported because victims don’t want anything to slow their journey north and fear authorities in the countries they are crossing.

Despite efforts to slow the flood of migrants passing through the hazardous region — including a trip to Central and South America by New York Mayor Eric Adams last month — asylum seekers continue to stream through, Border Report said.

The toll for such efforts has been steep.

The organisation has given 51,500 medical consultations, 2400 mental health consultations, treated 17,400 wounds and dealt with 397 cases of sexual violence so far in 2023, according to the report.

This article originally appeared on NY Post and was reproduced with permission