The province of Colón in Panama has been heavily affected by violence, which, according to security agencies, is linked to drug trafficking and gangs. This violence has resulted in an alarming toll of 62 homicides as of June 25, 2024. By May, homicide cases had increased by 23% compared to last year, with an average of one murder every three days
The current homicide rate in the province is 25.75 per 100,000 inhabitants, which doubles the country's rate last year, which was 11.5 per 100,000 inhabitants.
It is important to note that Colón is the province with the highest Afro-descendant population per square meter in Panama, which leads us to analyze this problem from an ethno-racial perspective. The violence in this region has disproportionately impacted the Afro-descendant community, which is permanently involved in conflict and violence situations, affecting families, especially Afro-descendant women and girls.
A worrying fact is that more than 90% of the victims of these homicides are men under 40 years old, the vast majority being young people between 17 and 30 years old, concentrating in the productive and reproductive stage of the life cycle. This situation leads us to reflect on the socioeconomic conditions and access to opportunities faced by the youth in this region, which increases the risks of falling into criminal activities and violence.
From an institutional indifference perspective, it is clear that the youth of Colón are abandoned to their fate. Over the years, there has been a lack of attention and support towards the needs and rights of this community, reflecting a lack of real commitment to address the inequalities and discriminations faced by the population of this province in an integral and effective manner. This neglect is particularly concerning given that Colón is the second province that generates the most income for the country, yet it maintains shameful levels of unemployment.
Achille Mbembe, in his work "Necropolitics," explores how sovereign power decides who can live and who must die, framing this capacity within a broader context of systemic violence and social exclusion. Mbembe argues how certain bodies and lives are continually exposed to death. Necropolitics manifests in Colón through the lack of opportunities, economic exclusion, and the constant threat of violence, which targets the black youth of this province. These deaths result from a system that, by not providing the necessary conditions for a dignified life, pushes these young people towards death.
The case of the 62 homicides of predominantly black youth in Colón, Panama, is a sad reflection of Mbembe's ideas. These murders not only represent a security crisis but also a manifestation of how black youth's lives are systematically devalued, as stated by Francia Márquez and Galeano, "the nobodies"; beings constantly exposed to death. In a society where impoverishment, inequality, and structural and systemic racism are rampant, these young people are seen not only as expendable but as targets of violence, which in many ways, is the result of the social and political structure in which they live.
In this sense, the reality in Colón today is not just a crime problem but a deep issue of social justice and human rights. It is imperative to address the structural roots of this violence so that all young people, regardless of their skin color, can live in a safe environment with equal opportunities. Mbembe's reflection calls us to not only look at the symptoms but to change the structures that perpetuate this violence, and this is also everyone's responsibility.
It is crucial that authorities take urgent measures to address this problem in Colón, implementing public policies that promote the social and economic inclusion of the province, particularly the Afro-descendant population, as well as strategies aimed at preventing all types of violence. It is no secret that the Afro-descendant population in the country has to deal with racial profiling applied by security agencies throughout the country, where people living in impoverished and racialized sectors are suspected of committing crimes simply because they belong to a community and have a certain skin color.
The violence in Colón not only affects the victims' families but also impacts the community as a whole, generating a climate of insecurity and fear. It is necessary to work jointly and coordinated with the population to eradicate violence and build a safer future where the inhabitants of Colón can have a dignified life worth living.
Therefore, AfroResistance places at the center of our work the black populations and communities of the Americas because we know the realities experienced in the region. The context we present in this text is the reality of other countries like Colombia and Brazil. For example, in 2018, data showed that "the number of Afro-descendant youth victims of homicide more than quadruples that of non-Afro-descendant youth. This figure represents the violent death of 61 Afro-descendant Brazilian youth each day, more than 2 deaths every hour."
It is urgent and necessary to take measures to stop the bleeding of black youth deaths in the region, addressing the true factors underlying the inequality matrix. Changes will not occur unless we work on the structural system that perpetuates racism, discrimination against a population that in the past was considered an object, and today it seems that for those in power, the black youth of Colón are not people and therefore have no right to live with dignity.
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