On October 9, the ground shook in Panama. We were frightened, looked up at the buildings, thought about our families, and felt relieved that the towering skyscrapers did not come crashing down. But today, with fear still lingering in our throats, we must look beyond Cinta Costera and Costa del Este. Panama is not just that postcard image of towering buildings we show to the world. Panama is also its rural regions, farming communities, artisans, agricultural workers, and the towns and villages...

Latin America and the Caribbean is a region marked by deep inequalities in access to abortion. While some countries have made progress in decriminalizing abortion and expanding rights, others continue to maintain highly restrictive laws, limiting autonomy and access to safe services. However, the barriers are not only legal; they are also economic, geographic, cultural, and linguistic. The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes access to clear, evidence-based, and non-discriminatory...

From the Women and Afro-Resistance Meeting Space, we express our deep concern about the sustained growth of the prison population and the consolidation of responses centered on punishment as the main security strategy in Panama. As of April 2026, Panama had 24,831 people incarcerated in a country of just 4.2 million inhabitants. This equates to approximately 591 people incarcerated per 100,000 inhabitants, one of the highest rates in Latin America and the world. However, using data from the...