"THEY'LL NEVER FIND MY BODY HERE": AN INVESTIGATION INTO MIGRATION AT THE DARIÉN GAP

Leblanc, Hannah Marie ; Moazizi, Janneke Detlefsen

4. semester

International Relations, MSc.

2024

2024-05-31

68

Colombia har en lang historie med migration – både internt og over grænser, både frivillig og tvungen. Mange colombianere er rejst til Venezuela, mens Colombia også har modtaget mange venezuelanere. I de senere år er der dog sket en markant stigning i bevægelser over grænsen til Panama. Strammere visumregler i andre lande i Mellem- og Nordamerika betyder, at Colombia i højere grad fungerer som transitland for mennesker på vej mod USA og Canada. Grænsen mellem Colombia og Panama går gennem den tætte jungle i Darién, som er den nødvendige overlandrute mellem Syd- og Nordamerika. Her møder migranter alvorlige farer: kriminalitet fra karteller, paramilitære grupper og væbnede overfaldsmænd, konflikter med andre migranter samt vanskeligt terræn, voldsomt vejr og farligt dyreliv. I specialet gennemgår vi eksisterende kilder som nyhedsartikler og pressemeddelelser og vurderer dem ud fra udvalgte begrebsrammer: kritiske grænsestudier (Parker, Vaughan-Williams, Bialasiewicz m.fl., 2009), migrationssystemteori (Bakewell, 2014), teorier om tvungen migration (Piguet, 2018; Richmond, 1993) og aspirations- og kapabilitetsrammen (de Haas, 2021). Tilsammen hjælper disse perspektiver os med at belyse de udfordringer, som både migranter og myndigheder står over for i Darién-området.

Colombia has a long history of migration—within the country and across borders, both voluntary and forced. Many Colombians have moved to Venezuela, and Colombia has also hosted many Venezuelans. In recent years, however, movement across the border with Panama has risen sharply. Stricter visa rules in other Central and North American countries have made Colombia a transit country for people traveling toward the U.S. and Canada. The Colombia–Panama frontier runs through the dense Darién jungle, the overland route between South and North America. Migrants who pass through face serious dangers: criminal activity by cartels, paramilitary groups, and armed assailants; tensions with other migrants; and harsh geography, weather, and wildlife. In this thesis, we review existing sources such as news articles and press releases and assess them using selected conceptual lenses: critical border studies (Parker, Vaughan-Williams, Bialasiewicz et al., 2009), migration systems theory (Bakewell, 2014), theories of forced migration (Piguet, 2018; Richmond, 1993), and the aspirations–capabilities framework (de Haas, 2021). Together, these perspectives help us illustrate the challenges the Darién region poses for both migrants and governments.

[This summary has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]

Darién Gap ; Panama ; Colombia ; migrants ; migration ; refugees ; migration systems ; forced migration ; border studies

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