Caught Between Bullets: Panama's Minors and the Grip of Violence

Violence in Panama is increasingly affecting minors, with some becoming victims and others being drawn into criminal activities. The story focuses on the plight of mothers grappling with the loss or disappearance of their children due to this violence. Diomedes and José, brothers aged 14 and 17, left home on September 16, 2024, and never returned. Their mother, Natezira Quintero, continues to search for them, hoping to at least recover their remains for burial. Her story is representative of many in neighborhoods where violence has become a daily reality. Criminologist Julio Alonso notes that children are being recruited by criminal gangs for serious offenses, attributing this partly to societal failures in raising youth. The article points to the Centro de Cumplimiento, where 234 young offenders aged 15 to 17 are serving sentences. It also notes the presence of 11 young female offenders, some as young as 16, in the Centro de Custodia y Cumplimiento Residencia Femenina, with cases including multiple homicides. Statistics show 3,022 complaints against minors filed by July 2026, involving sexual offenses and crimes against life and personal integrity. In communities like Cerro Cocobolo, residents like Maricela Valencia, who has lived there for 44 years, have lost children to violence, with one son being only 14 years old. The pervasive fear transforms daily life for families affected by this ongoing violence.