On Friday, President José Raúl Mulino named lawyer Lilibeth Cárdenas Chanis as the new director of the National Secretariat for Childhood, Adolescence, and Family (Senniaf). At the time of her appointment, Cárdenas served as Vice Minister for Women, a position from which she promoted protection and equity policies. According to the communiqué, Cárdenas has experience relevant to the appointment, having worked in the Public Ministry as an official in the Summarized Instruction Division for Crimes Against the Family Legal Order and Civil Status (domestic violence and child abuse). In addition to extensive knowledge of international and Panamanian law, she was also Vice Consul in Miami, United States, and a legal advisor for the Social Security Fund. She holds a law and political science degree, a master's in International Law and Human Rights, and a diploma in the Accusatory Criminal System. The appointment comes after the resignation of Ana Fábrega, who left her post amid a scandal at the Integral Attention Center (CAI) in Tocumen, where alleged cases of sexual abuse, child mistreatment, and dereliction of duty by public officials are being investigated. Following her resignation, the president temporarily appointed Otilia Rodríguez as the acting director, a position she held for only one day.
