Appeals remain the endless procedure to request support for refugees worldwide. The Venezuelan crisis is the largest after the Syrian crisis. It has left millions of Venezuelans at the mercy of neighboring countries, UNHCR reports. Despite the overwhelming stretch in its educational and health services, Colombia is commended for supporting the largest population.
The Colombian government’s Commissioner for the Border deserves applause. Mr. Felipe Muñoz recently took a visit to Europe to enlighten the world about the gravity of migration. He said approximately 2000 Venezuelans enter Colombia daily. In London, Mr. Muñoz said “There has been a lack of understanding about the magnitude of the crisis. And there has been a lack of awareness that this is a global humanitarian crisis and we need much more support.”
What is the cause of Venezuelan migration?
The socialist government headed by Nicolás Maduro is the root cause of this mass exodus and revolution. Reports from the UN and the International Organization for Migration have confirmed about 13 percent of Venezuelans are refugees.
The Financial Times outlined a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. His name is Michael O’Hanlon. He predicted: “Even if things do not get that bad, it is easy to imagine scenarios in which 10 million Venezuelans become refugees.”
On the contrary, at the UN General Assembly last year, Mr. Maduro claims: “Venezuela is the victim of world media attacks designed to construct a supposed humanitarian crisis to justify a military intervention”.
Colombia has taken in the largest number of 1.4 m Venezuelans. Peru and Ecuador host the next biggest populations with 861,000 and 330,000 respectively. Equally, Chile accepted 288,000, and 179,000 are in Brazil.
The number of refugees hosted by some Caribbean nations is uncertain. However, since Ecuador and Peru effectively closed their doors this summer, Bogotá is feeling the strain.
Colombian appeals for support
Comparatively, the Colombian government said that donors have contributed about $5,000. This was towards the costs of support of each Syrian refugee. Since the country’s crisis began, Venezuelans have received $193 each in Colombia.
The World Bank confirmed by estimating this year that the annual cost to Colombia of hosting the Venezuelan migrants, not including infrastructure and facilities, was about 0.4 percent of GDP.
Exceptionally, Colombia offers free education to the children of Venezuelan migrants, which costs $160m annually, Mr. Muñoz remarked. Many refugees arrive in poor health needing urgent medical treatment. A report this year by Human Rights Watch and Johns Hopkins University has shocking detail. It said that cases of malaria, tuberculosis, HIV/Aids, and hepatitis had all increased sharply in the border area.
Recommendation
Maduro’s government needs to promulgate genuine and acceptance policies that can permit these Venezuelans to return to their country. Hostility and instability have to stop.
All countries, especially non-refugee hosting countries, should chip in financially to support these huge amounts of refugees. These are appeals for every country to join in supporting refugee-hosting countries. It doesn’t have to be financial only. It could be material as well. Global humanitarian issues imply global burdens that should be borne by the entire international community.
To read more articles on the effects of humanitarian support and refugee needs, check out the following
Indonesian Refugees Suffer from Australian Funding Cuts
Grandi Calls For Equitable Sharing Of Refugees, Furthering The Resettlement Dilemma
Original article on the Organization of World Peace.
