THE HUMANITARIAN CONDITIONS IN VENEZUELA

Venezuela continues to experience an unprecedented political and socio-economic crisis that is having very serious repercussions on the population, forced to live with hyperinflation, lack of food and basic services. This crisis has unleashed one of the largest migratory flows in history, with more than 5 million Venezuelans leaving their country.

Framework: three aspects of the crisis

The crisis in Venezuela refers to the political, economic and social problems that the country has been suffering since the beginning of 2013.

This is a series of problems: regarding the economic aspect, the collapse of oil prices, the expropriations and the restrictions on exchange controls have unleashed a severe economic recession in the South American state. Since the beginning of the crisis, statistics have reflected a progressive decline in household income and an increase in poverty - according to a report published in 2020 by the US Mission to the UN Agencies in Rome, the average income in Venezuela corresponds to 72 cents of dollar (0.68 euros) per day, with 96% of the Venezuelan population forced to live in poverty, and 70% in conditions of extreme poverty.

One of the other aggravating factors of the crisis is the shortage of essential products, a phenomenon responsible for a disastrous humanitarian crisis. This is a situation that occurs in a framework of regulating the price of products, such as food, medicines and even banknotes. 

Finally, from a political point of view, the serious level of corruption in the Venezuelan Government has led to the suppression of press freedom, followed by a fierce repression against political opponents. Corruption is also attributable to the state of degradation of the country’s health facilities and the exorbitant costs of medicines. The Maduro government, through the control of the media, spreads negative messages with the intention of causing political discrimination. According to a statement by Amnesty International "in 2019 the correlation between stigmatization through the media and politically motivated arbitrary arrests had been 29%, in 2020 it had risen to 42% and in 2021 it reached 77%".

A fleeing people

Of course, all aspects of this crisis spill over into the social aspect and the rights of the population: millions upon millions of people have been forced to emigrate from Venezuela, as Tamara Taraciuk Broner said, responsible for the Americas of the Human Rights Watch organization.

In 2014, a statement by the UNHCR - the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees - declared Venezuela a country afflicted by the refugee crisis. The crisis has only gotten worse, and over the years there has been an increase of 8,000% in the number of Venezuelans who have applied for the status of refugee.

With the Covid-19 Pandemic the circumstances were further aggravated, since Venezuela was not ready to face a situation of such great stress from the medical point of view, burdening especially the medical and education sector - most children do not have a computer or internet access to take lessons remotely. In addition, the Pandemic provided an excuse for the government to implement new repressions, causing even more people to migrate to surrounding countries.

Many of the migrants arrive at the border town of Huaquillas, on the border between Ecuador and Peru, which welcomes dozens of migrants from Venezuela every day, who arrive on foot after crossing Ecuador and Colombia. Due to the spread of the virus, the border with Peru was closed and international organizations were forced to close their offices in Cebaf - the binational center of border attention.The first reception centres that remain open in Huaquillas are obliged by the prevention measures against Covid-19 to a reduced reception capacity. This situation has caused the birth of new trochas, illegal passages crossing the border.
Furthermore, a recent local ordinance forbids migrants to sleep in the green areas or parks of Huaquillas, which, in early 2021, were occupied by migrants at night. The only accommodation available is the 8 de Septiembre reception centre, run by a joint international association including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, USAID and the International Organisation for Migration.

Daniel Torres, president of the reception centre, explains that "The migration flow has increased considerably in recent months and the repressive actions implemented by local authorities prevent migrants from even stopping or taking a break in the city’s parks and squares, this forces them to disperse or to walk back and forth without a destination".
The only primary reception center in Huaquillas can accommodate a maximum of 150 people, reduced to 75 to comply with security measures against Covid-19. As a result of the increase in migration flows, it is clear that it is difficult to meet all the demands of migrants who find themselves having to spend the night in the city. 

The absence of adequate reception measures does not prevent migratory flows - on the contrary, it causes the emergence of illegal activities such as extortion, trafficking and theft. Moreover, the increasing militarization of borders forces many people to cross the border irregularly, often at night, which increases the risks for migrants. The so-called trochas - the paths that cross the borders irregularly - are in the hands of the coyotes, or smugglers of migrants, who also require the payment of a toll. According to Silvia Campoverde, local manager of the Jesuit Mission for Refugees "There are dozens of illegal passages and routes, which increase the risks to which migrants are exposed".

According to UNHCR data, the people who suffer most from this unsustainable situation are the elderly, forced to live as homeless. Indeed, life on the street puts a strain on motor skills, blood circulation, the respiratory system and also cognitive abilities. A condition that, since the beginning of the crisis has continued to worsen, suffering a further worsening with the Pandemic from Covid-19.
The Venezuelan crisis is not just any crisis: the humanitarian situation, the violation of human rights and the situation of refugees make it a priority situation, to which competent international bodies should pay more attention and on which they should intervene, ensuring the protection of the fundamental human rights of the Venezuelan population. 

Translated by Cristiana Azoitei

The sources used for this publication are freely available:

https://www.osservatoriodiritti.it/2021/08/24/crisi-umanitaria-venezuela-migranti/

https://www.sjesjesuits.global/it/sj-reflections/forgotten-stories-crisi-umanitarie-in-venezuela/

https://www.linkiesta.it/2022/02/intervista-broner-venezuela-humans-rights-watch/