{"id":5645,"date":"2026-07-15T12:30:28","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T17:30:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medecinsdumonde.ca\/?post_type=actualite&p=5645"},"modified":"2026-10-02T04:27:09","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T09:27:09","slug":"colombie-dans-le-darien-medecins-du-monde-soigne-les-corps-et-redonne-une-voix-aux-femmes-victimes-de-violences","status":"publish","type":"actualite","link":"https:\/\/medecinsdumonde.ca\/en\/article\/colombie-dans-le-darien-medecins-du-monde-soigne-les-corps-et-redonne-une-voix-aux-femmes-victimes-de-violences\/","title":{"rendered":"Colombia: in the Dari\u00e9n, Doctors of the World heals bodies and restores the voice of women who are survivors of violence"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"featured_media":5652,"template":"","actualite_type":[10],"actualite_sujet":[],"action_combat":[42],"mdm_pays":[206],"class_list":["post-5645","actualite","type-actualite","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","actualite_type-international-actions","action_combat-humanitarian-crises"],"acf":{"mise_en_avant":false,"chapeau":"In the Dari\u00e9n region, between Colombia and Panama, Doctors of the World Canada deploys fixed and mobile clinics to address the health emergency of migrants. A report on a project that provides care, prevents, and encourages speaking out.","cta_type":"aucun","cta_lien":"","contenu":"

ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST DANGEROUS MIGRATORY ROUTES<\/h3>\r\n
\r\n\r\nEvery year, tens of thousands of people cross the Dari\u00e9n, the jungle that separates Colombia from Panama, in the hope of reaching North America. In 2024, 302,203 migrants crossed this border \u2014 a 41% decrease compared to the previous year, a direct result of more restrictive migration policies adopted in Panama, the change of government in the United States, and the ongoing instability in Venezuela.\r\n\r\nThis slowdown does not, however, mean an improvement in conditions. Quite the opposite: people in transit are now taking alternative routes, more isolated and dangerous, exposing them to an increased risk of violence, disease, and physical and mental distress. Since January 2025, with the suspension of several reception programs in the United States, a new phenomenon has been accelerating: the reverse exodus. More and more migrants, discouraged or deported, are turning back toward their country of origin, often traveling along the Atlantic coast between Panama and Colombia.\r\n

URGENT HUMANITARIAN NEEDS<\/h3>\r\n
\r\n\r\nField data collected by M\u00e9decins du Monde paints a worrying picture. 60% of respondents<\/strong> report having experienced a risky situation during their migratory journey: theft (45%), physical violence (32%), sexual violence (15%), and intimidation (15%). Nearly 8 out of 10 incidents occur deep in the jungle, far from any help.\r\n\r\nWomen and people from the LGBTQ2S+ community are particularly vulnerable: 63% of them say they feel in danger<\/strong> during their transit. Despite this, more than 4 out of 10 people are unaware of existing mechanisms to report the violence they have suffered, and nearly 40% have never had access to a safe space to receive information about their Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights \u2013 SRHR.\r\n\r\nIn terms of mental health, distress is widespread: uncertainty (51%), stress (43%), fear (40%), and sadness (36%) dominate the emotional experiences of people in transit, with very real consequences \u2014 sleep disorders (71%), headaches (44%), and isolation (10%).\r\n

M\u00c9DECINS DU MONDE'S RESPONSE IN THE FIELD<\/h3>\r\n
\r\n\r\nIn response to these needs, M\u00e9decins du Monde teams have quickly adapted their intervention to follow the evolution of migratory routes, particularly along the Atlantic coast, where a growing number of people in reverse exodus are now traveling.\r\n\r\nTwo permanent care points have been established in Capurgan\u00e1: the first at the dock, where the team provides primary health care \u2014 including sexual and reproductive health and psychosocial support \u2014 in coordination with Colombian health authorities; the second in a shelter where migrants spend the night before continuing their journey to Necocl\u00ed or Turbo.\r\n\r\nIn addition, mobile clinics<\/strong> have been deployed in the most hard-to-reach areas of Acand\u00ed and Capurgan\u00e1, offering primary health care, sexual and reproductive health services, and mental health support \u2014 for both migrants and host communities. This approach helps expand health coverage, prevent disease outbreaks, and reach a population otherwise left behind by institutional health services.\r\n\r\nThis response is also part of a complementary approach: while other international organizations focus on protection, M\u00e9decins du Monde prioritizes primary health care and prevention, ensuring comprehensive coverage of needs throughout the migratory journey.\r\n

NAMING VIOLENCE TO PAVE THE WAY FOR DIGNITY<\/h3>\r\n
\r\n\r\nBeyond physical care, sometimes a simple conversation can change a life trajectory. During a mobile clinic held in December, while people were waiting to receive care, the M\u00e9decins du Monde team organized an awareness session on Gender-based violence.\r\n\r\nUsing the violentometer<\/em> \u2014 a visual tool that places different behaviors on a risk scale, from yellow (\u201cbe cautious\u201d) to red (\u201cdanger\u201d) \u2014 participants were invited to collectively reflect on everyday situations: repeated humiliation, constant control, destruction of personal belongings. Actions often trivialized then began to reveal themselves for what they truly are: warning signs.\r\n\r\nAt the end of the exercise, a woman approached the psychological team. Years earlier, she had survived physical assault by her ex-partner. But it was by participating in this activity that she was able, for the first time, to recognize that her current relationship also involved more subtle forms of violence \u2014 which she had never been able to name until then.\r\n\r\nThrough a gender-sensitive, trauma-informed, and human rights-based approach, the team was able to support her: non-judgmental listening, validation of her experience, psychoeducation tools on the cycle of violence, and then identification of her internal resources and support networks.\r\n\r\nFor this woman, naming the violence was the first step toward reclaiming her dignity.\r\n
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\u201cThis experience shows how, in a humanitarian context, a space for dialogue and attentive listening can become a turning point,\u201d say Lesly Abuchar and Andrea Aguilar, members of the M\u00e9decins du Monde team.<\/h2>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
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A CONTINUING PRESENCE<\/h3>\r\n
\r\n\r\nM\u00e9decins du Monde continues to monitor the evolution of cross-border migratory flows to adapt its response, while maintaining its primary health care services in Capurgan\u00e1. A needs assessment incorporating gender and intersectionality dimensions is underway, as is the deployment of new mobile clinics to reach migrants and host communities in the most remote areas of the region.\r\n\r\nThis project, carried out with the support of Global Affairs Canada, illustrates M\u00e9decins du Monde\u2019s commitment to leaving no one behind \u2014 neither in terms of physical health nor human dignity.\r\n\r\nSee our actions in Colombia<\/a>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>","temps_lecture":5,"legende_couverture":"","signature_nom":"Doctors of the World Canada","signature_role":"","signature_initiales":"MdM","signature_avatar":"","communique_lien":[],"communique_libelle":"","encadre_titre":"Key Information","encadre_texte":"","partenaires_titre":"With the support of","partenaires":null,"reseaux_partage":["facebook","twitter","linkedin","email","copy"],"evenement_date":null,"evenement_type":"","evenement_lieu":"","evenement_inscription":"","presse_afficher":true,"presse_surtitre":"Press Release"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/medecinsdumonde.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/actualite\/5645","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/medecinsdumonde.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/actualite"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/medecinsdumonde.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/actualite"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/medecinsdumonde.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/actualite\/5645\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5653,"href":"https:\/\/medecinsdumonde.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/actualite\/5645\/revisions\/5653"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medecinsdumonde.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5652"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/medecinsdumonde.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5645"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"actualite_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medecinsdumonde.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/actualite_type?post=5645"},{"taxonomy":"actualite_sujet","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medecinsdumonde.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/actualite_sujet?post=5645"},{"taxonomy":"action_combat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medecinsdumonde.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/action_combat?post=5645"},{"taxonomy":"mdm_pays","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medecinsdumonde.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/mdm_pays?post=5645"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}