According to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the figure represents a 6.6 percent increase in these crimes in which minors, women and the LGBTQ population are the most vulnerable, and said that about 20 complaints are received daily.

In the opinion of the member of a feminist group, Priscilla Vasquez, one of the keys is that there should be a broader sex education, which is opposed by the churches, especially the evangelical ones.

Vasquez told the newspaper La Estrella de Panama that it is a systemic problem, which comes from the institutions, the macho speech, police repression and even the mockery and attacks on institutions such as the Women’s Ministry, which provides resources to victims such as shelters and psychological treatment.

According to statistics from the National Integrated System of Criminal Statistics (SIEC), about 90 percent of the victims are women.

Femicides have also increased.

During the current administration, which began in July 2024, 16 cases have been recorded, 43.8 percent more than in the same period of the previous administration.

In these first seven months of Jose Raul Mulino’s administration, 8,775 cases of domestic violence were also reported, also a high figure, although it represents a reduction of 1,91 cases compared to the previous period, that is, 12.4 percent, as a result of a joint effort of the ministries of Women, Social Development and security. ef/abo/mem/ga