Panama

Population size: 

4.3 million [1]

Number of people experiencing domestic abuse each year:

Lifetime Physical and/or Sexual Intimate Partner Violence: 14.4 % of ever-partnered women aged 15-49 years experiencing intimate partner physical and/or sexual violence at least once in their life.

Physical and/or Sexual Intimate Partner Violence in the last 12 months: 10.1% [2]

Between 2014–2015, a population-based study of women 15–49 years of age at the country level reported a lifetime prevalence of IPV of 34.0% and a 6.2% prevalence of sexual violence [3]

No research on male victims or other gender identities.

Cost of domestic abuse to the economy each year:

No research.

Estimated % change due to COVID-19:

No research.

Current law and policy:

Panama committed to greater political participation and the eradication of violence against women Former VP Isabel Saint Malo in 2015.[4] In 2018 Panama created a special gender violence police squad of 200 officers.[5] On the 24th of October 2013, Panama passed Act no. 82 which adopts preventative measures against violence toward women.  It also amended the penal code to classify femicide and punish various expressions of violence against women. This forms part of the commitments made by the Panamanian government in the framework of the international agreement to establish and implement immediate preventative measures on femicide signed on the 29th of July 2015.[6] 

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Sources

[1] Worldometer, “Panama Population (Live)”, (worldometers.info)

[2], [3] De León Richardson, RC et al. 2011. Encuesta Nacional de Salud Sexual y Reproductiva (ENASSER) Panama 2009: Informe Final. Panama: Instituto Conmemorativo Gorgas de Estudios de la Salud.

[4] https://www.unwomen.org/en/get-involved/step-it-up/commitments/panama

[5] https://www.trtworld.com/americas/panama-creates-special-gender-violence-police-squad-19333

[6] https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/UNDP-RBLAC-ReportVCMEnglish.pdf