What Happened
Panamanian lawmaker Alexandra Brenes says state-run shelters and children’s homes are in worse condition than privately operated facilities, following a series of visits she has made as chair of the Assembly’s Commission on Women, Children, Youth and Family.
During inspections in several provinces, Brenes says she has found irregularities and poorly managed processes in a number of centers under the supervision of the National Secretariat for Children, Adolescents and Family, known as Senniaf. The most widely discussed case has been the Comprehensive Child Care Center in Tocumen, where she says she uncovered signs of mistreatment, overcrowding, and mixed populations living in the same facility, including adults and minors together.
Leadership Changes at Senniaf
The complaints helped trigger a leadership change at the institution. Ana Fábrega, who had served as director since July 2024, resigned in early March. President José Raúl Mulino then appointed Lilibeth Cárdenas as her replacement.
Cárdenas was recommended for ratification by the Assembly’s Credentials Commission with five votes in favor, and her appointment was set to move to the full legislature for approval on March 11. She has said she will review each child in the system, introduce improvements, train her team, and work to transform the institution.
What Brenes Found in the Field
Brenes said she has visited 23 of the country’s 48 shelters. Of those, two are administered directly by Senniaf and four are run by the Ministry of Social Development, while the rest are privately managed and overseen by the child protection secretariat.
According to Brenes, the privately managed shelters generally show better conditions than the public ones. She also said that during one visit to the Tocumen center she encountered the problems she had denounced publicly.
Her attempt to inspect a shelter in Panama Oeste was not completed because she was told the children had been moved elsewhere. That left the visit unfinished, but Brenes said she intends to continue following up on the situation.
Why It Matters
The situation has renewed attention on the conditions of children’s shelters in Panama and on the responsibility of state institutions that oversee vulnerable minors. Brenes’ findings add pressure on Senniaf at a time when the agency is already under scrutiny and facing demands for stronger supervision, better safeguards, and more effective care standards.
Brenes also said she has been summoned, along with others, by the Public Ministry in connection with the Tocumen complaint, and she is waiting to see how the case moves forward.