Security

One of the questions that a lot of people asked me before I came to Panama this year was about the whole area of security. Possibly, after the dramatic RTE documentary that showed the Irish nurse working in Nicaragua, it is something that was in the thoughts of many people.
In an earlier post I mentioned that while Panama is largely a very safe country there are also some significant challenges in this area.

The Seminary is surrounded by an area called San Miguelito (little Saint Michael) which is a large, what is euphemistically called a "popular area" or barrio. A popular area generally means an area which is one that is not really popular at all - in fact, people would generally prefer to live elsewhere. These areas are notable for the high index of poverty and unemployment that is endemic in them. Obviously, this makes these areas hotbeds for the growth of crime - when you add to this the high availability of drugs, it is not hard to imagine that life in these areas can be very difficult, to say the least.

Assaults, robberies, and even murders and sexual assaults are, unfortunately, crimes that ofen go unpunished which, of course, makes them more attractive to the perpetrators. This makes it all the more striking, therefore, that "popular barrios" very often have a strong sense of identity and community - people here are very good at sharing whatever little they have, and they are also very good at taking care of those in their communities who are passing through periods of particular necessity: I suppose they have to be, there is no help available from government agencies.

The seminary, until recently, had remained largely unaffected by the problems associated with crime. Church institutions are generally valued here, and also recognised for the huge amount of work that they do for the less fortunate. However, that is something that is changing. Just a few days before I arrived, a group of seminarians, with a visiting priest, were returning from something at around 9pm when they were help up by gunpoint at the gate of the seminary and everything was taken from them - car, documents, money, watches etc.

Obviously, this has caused a shock among the seminary community, and also a greater awareness of the need to be security-conscious. Just today, I was heading out to walk to the local shop - about 10 minutes walk away - when I was stopped by a semiarian who was very concerned about me walking out alone. The seminary is located at the end of a short, but quite isolated, cul de sac and, because I stand out as a foreigner, I was a potential target for thievery: he only let me continue alone because it was the early afternoon and there were many people around.
But, realistically, there is no more danger here than in any other city - and significantly less danger than that to be found in most.