TACOMA, Washington — Since 2015, more than five million Venezuelans have migrated, according to the United Nations. It is no longer a surprise that many Venezuelans are still leaving the South American country. According to the UNHCR, between 4,000 and 5,000 Venezuelans have left the country every day just since 2019—until the COVID-19 pandemic began. Venezuelan migrants are walking and hitchhiking thousands of miles of unknown and hard to pass trails just to reach cities such as Bogota, Cali, Quito and Lima to look for a better life and future.
The Reasons Why Venezuelans are Leaving the Country
Venezuelan migrants are fleeing a humanitarian and economic crisis that has been unfolding since 2013. The crisis has had a great impact on the country, leading to massive shortages of water, food and medicine as well as electricity outages and an increase in financial insecurity.
The healthcare system in Venezuela has suffered a great reduction in personal and medicine shortages and is a significant reason why people are leaving the country. Indeed, the healthcare system is so weak that there’s been an outbreak of vaccine-preventable diseases, such as measles and diphtheria. There’s been more cases of malaria in recent years, as well as TB. Because of medicine’s shortages, HIV patients can no longer afford medication.
Pregnant women and women with children are the majority of Venezuelan migrants traveling to other countries in search of medical attention. Since 2016, there’s been a 60% increase in maternal mortality rate and infantile mortality rate for preventable causes, the leading cause being malnutrition. Accessibility of food and basic staples is another reason why Venezuelan migrants are enduring such difficulties to leave the country. According to a national survey conducted by the three major universities in Venezuela, around 80% of households experienced food insecurity in 2017, and it is projected more families are going to be affected.
Today, there’s even a lack of gas in Venezuela—which has been the main source of the country’s revenue. Since 2019, there’s been a hard hit on gasoline production since there are no manufacturers and resources to keep drilling oil. People are waiting in long lines at gas stations to fill their cars.
The continuous corruption in PDVSA, the main oil company in Venezuela, and many other sectors of the country has only aggravated the dire situation. A city such as Cabimas, where oil was exploited for many years and in which its people were able to benefit, is now in ruins with flooding oil coming up from the pipes as the rain falls down.
How Venezuelan Migrants are Traveling: Before and Amid COVID-19
Venezuelan migrants are finding ways they can leave the country to sustain themselves and their families. For many, the only option is crossing the frontiers by walking since bus tickets and airplane flights are too expensive. Many walked across the Simon Bolivar bridge, which connects with Cucuta, a city in Colombia, with their passports and work permits; some with money, others without. For those who don’t have papers, they risk the choice of crossing by river or mountain trails by paying a fee to cross without being stopped. Some have the possibility of taking a bus to a major city, while others walk thousands of miles with children, facing hunger and fatigue.
Venezuelan migrants cross borders to find jobs and sustain their families back in Venezuela. For many, it is not a choice but rather a necessity to leave their land for much better opportunities. “I dream of going back to Venezuela if everything got fixed there. But there are a lot of people here in the same situation we are in. A lot of people are going without,” says Mariairene to Worldvision in a 2019 report. Just like her, many Venezuelan migrants were forced to migrate even though many would want the possibility of going back home—only if things get better.
With the COVID-19 restrictions, the situation has worsened. It is not only the lack of willing drivers that can give a ride to these migrants but the fact that because they are migrants they are more vulnerable to being victims of human trafficking, prostitution, kidnapping, assassination and even dying while walking hundreds of miles through extreme conditions.
The foreclosure of shelters has been unexpectedly harder on migrants traveling with children. It means that there are now more families sleeping without a roof over their heads, under temperatures that can reach 5C (41F), according to BBC News. Recently, Venezuelan migrant families, in hopes of reaching Chile, got lost in the Atacama desert for three days where temperatures can reach highs of 41C (104F).
The Impact of Venezuelan Migrants on South America
According to the World Bank, the impact of Venezuelan migrants on neighboring countries is quite critical, especially toward education, employment and health. This is due to the high number of migrants coming into these countries. World Vision estimates that in South America, there are around 1.8 million Venezuelan migrants in Colombia, 861 thousand in Peru, 366 thousand in Ecuador, and 456 thousand in Chile.
These countries in response have increased the requirements and documents for migrants and refugees. However, the World Bank acknowledges that the only way in which the South American countries can successfully manage the influx of migrants is by integrating them into the economy by providing them with more access.
Yet, there’s been an increase of xenophobia and stigmas surrounding Venezuelan migrants and refugees. Acceptance of migrants and refugees has been a reoccurring issue for many communities. However, migrants and refugees, when given the opportunity, can help local and national economies.
The Life of Venezuelan Migrants Amid COVID-19
Venezuelan migrants are now performing labor jobs with little pay. However, even with the already low pay, many migrants lost their only source of income when the pandemic began. As a result, many have been evicted, are experiencing homelessness or trying to return back to Venezuela—which is not the ideal solution at the moment.
Migrants who remained in other countries are trying everything not to return back to Venezuela. Women and girls had been forced to exchange sex for money. According to The Guardian, in Ecuador “some are charging as little as $2.”
Unaccompanied minors are another problem since they can be victims of exploitation. It is calculated that since 2015 around 25,000 minors crossed frontiers without anyone else besides them, as published in a report by Venezuelan investigative news website Armando.info. Some of them were as young as 11 years old, according to The Guardian.
It has become such a situation that UNICEF has responded by opening houses in Boa Vista, which is the nearest major city to frontiers, to give shelter and opportunities to these young children who are doing what every other Venezuelan migrant is doing: finding ways to help their families and seeking a better quality of life.
Humanitarian Organizations Helping Venezuelan Migrants Amid COVID-19
Organizations such as World Vision, the World Bank and UNICEF are working to help vulnerable Venezuelan migrants. Food vouchers and the food programs from World Vision has made a great difference in the lives of many migrant families, providing them with nutritious food and opportunities to grow. The organization has reached more than 250,000 people and is projected to reach more than 700,000 by 2022.
The IOM, UNHCR and the governments of Canada and Norway supported the International Donors Conference in Solidarity with Venezuelan Refugees and Migrants in Latin America and the Caribbean, created in May 2020. The plan is to support migrants and refugees that have been impacted by the pandemic. The humanitarian initiative raised $2.79 billion, which will be used to run the ongoing program to support Venezuelan migrants and refugees with housing, food, health, education, integration into host countries and humanitarian transportation. Since the initiative’s creation, the program has provided shelter to around 4,681 people, food to 32,288 people, health care to 2,281 and hygiene kits and personal protection equipment to 97,754 Venezuelans.
With the help of these organizations, many Venezuelan migrants and refugees are now able to continue their lives in their host countries without having to face challenging survival strategies. The hope is that the program will be able to reach more Venezuelan migrants amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
—Alannys D Milano
Photo: Flickr