Panama

In Panama, Ngäbe‑Büglé women, mobile Indigenous peoples who often migrate cross-border between Costa Rica and Panama as seasonal agricultural workers, face obstacles to reproductive healthcare. Most birth registration in Panama takes place in hospitals, but in Indigenous regions only 29.1% of births occur in institutional settings. The rural areas in which these women reside lack quality healthcare, and traveling to cities for care is costly, posing financial barriers. Additionally, Ngäbe‑Büglé women face discrimination in healthcare settings. Women who do not speak Spanish are not allowed to be accompanied into examination rooms by family members who speak Spanish, posing linguistic barriers. Additionally, they may not be allowed to be accompanied by a traditional birth attendant in hospitals or choose their birthing position. This leads them to avoid hospital births, and thus births go unregistered. The CRC (2011, 2018) and Human Rights Council (2011, 2015) have issued recommendations to ensure birth registration of Indigenous children.