March 8 at 9: 00 a. m. ET — Confirmed: a march took place in panama’s capital in observance of International Women’s Day, with organizers including Luisa Fuentes publicly denouncing labor precarity and demanding an end to gender violence. Unresolved: whether recent activist claims of an increase in feminicides match the Ministerio Público’s latest figures; that discrepancy will be clarified by further official releases.
Luisa Fuentes and the March Route on the Cinta Costera
Confirmed: the demonstration originated at Parque Urracá and moved along the Cinta Costera that borders the Bay of Panama, where participants displayed banners calling for dignified working conditions, protection of children, inclusion of women with disabilities and respect for indigenous peoples. Still, march organizers such as Luisa Fuentes emphasized that women in panama continue to face long-term struggles to reenter formal employment after disruptions in the pandemic period.
Contraloría General Figures on Unemployment and Informality
Confirmed: the Contraloría General released official figures this month showing a national unemployment rate of 10. 4%, up from 9. 5% in the prior October 2024 measurement. Confirmed: the rate of employment informality was recorded at 49. 3% for October 2024; by sex, men’s informal employment moved from 48. 6% to 47. 6%, while women’s informal employment stayed at 46. 6%. Confirmed: the recent data indicate approximately 127, 000 women are unemployed.
Ministerio Público Feminicide Count and Activist Claims
Confirmed: the Ministerio Público documented 20 feminicides in 2025, a -13. 04% variation from the 23 feminicides recorded the previous year. Confirmed: the breakdown of methods for the 2025 victims lists six killed with firearms, five with edged weapons, four by mechanical asphyxia, two by blunt objects, one incineration and two by undetermined causes. UNCONFIRMED — as of 9: 00 a. m. ET, the activist claim by Ileana Corea of an “alza” (an increase) in feminicide cases is unconfirmed and is contested by the Ministerio Público’s published count.
That said, the march made visible broader labor patterns captured independently by territorial mapping work presented for International Women’s Day: an Esri Panamá StoryMap highlights that women are 50. 4% of the population while facing uneven regional access to formal employment. Confirmed: the StoryMap cites a female unemployment rate of 13. 2% and that 48. 4% of employed women work in the informal sector, with notable concentrations of female entrepreneurship in provinces such as Panama, Panama Oeste and Chiriquí.
Confirmed: the StoryMap also reports about 3, 000 women participating in more than 120 agricultural associations, and that a program labeled Agro Mujer allocated $9. 8 million in credits to 133 agroindustrial entrepreneurs. Confirmed figures from the national agricultural projections note roughly 5, 400 active producers in the portfolio referenced by the mapping project.
Confirmed next event that would move the story: additional official updates from the Contraloría General or new releases from the Ministerio Público, though no date or ET time for such updates is provided in the coverage. If the Contraloría General issues updated unemployment or informality figures, then those numbers will directly clarify whether employment trends for women are worsening or improving and will likely shape responses from organizers and policymakers.
