According to the Organization of American States (OAS), the Venezuelan Migration Crisis is set to become the largest in the world by the end of 2020, with the exodus estimated to reach between 7.5 million to 8.2 million. For comparison of scale, the Syrian refugee crisis is currently estimated to equal 6.7 million refugees.
The Venezuelan migration crisis goes back to the late 1990s, with the first wave of emigration following the election of Chavez in 1998. This was initially composed mainly of upper-class citizens concerned over the socialist government’s policies However, policies such as price caps on flour, cooking oil and toiletries ended up backfiring and instead led to the closure of the few Venezuelan-owned manufacturers as they struggled to cut even. Foreign currency controls bought in in 2003 by Chavez also led to a flourishing black market in dollars. Further waves of increased emigration occurred both after the 2002 failed Venezuelan coup d’état attempt and following the re-election of Chavez in 2006.
However, it was during the final years of Chavez’s presidency and after the election of Maduro in 2013 that emigration increased significantly. The effects of Chavez’s policies sparked an economic crisis in Venezuela, leading to shortages, high inflation unrest, and middle and lower-income citizens increasingly looking abroad for economic opportunities. Initially the emigration was primarily men looking to send remittances home but as the crisis deepened, it expanded to include whole families seeking to escape the increasing poverty, rising crime rates, declining health care provision and political repression in their home country.
Conditions have continued to deteriorate since then., The United Nations estimates that over 4.5 million Venezuelans have fled the country during the 2019 presidential crisis. With 90% of Venezuelan citizens living in poverty, continued hyperinflation and drastically declining living conditions, the numbers of migrants from Venezuela are set to only rise over the coming years. Already since 2014, the number of Venezuelans applying for refugee status worldwide has increased by 8000%. It is being described by the United Nations as a major humanitarian crisis resulting in the region’s largest exodus in recent history.
Most of those fleeing Venezuela are being hosted in nearby Latin American and Caribbean countries., Some with refugee status, others opting to obtain other forms of legal status that allows them to access work, education and health care services. Many lack any sort of legal status, making them vulnerable to continued low quality living and working conditions and exploitation. Many have already suffered greatly, both in Venezuela and during their journeys across often multiple borders.
Columbia hosts the most Venezuelan migrants, with official figures stating around 1.4 million as of the end of 2019. However, the real numbers are likely to be much higher, with estimates suggesting upwards of 2 million. So far, Columbia has been exceptionally welcoming to the large influx of refugees, with large popular support for their current open-door policy. Many Colombians have hosted refugees and local resources have been used to provide refugee care and support. However, Columbia is starting to feel the strain and it’s likely that popular support will decrease as the strain grows.
Countries such as Peru, Chile and Ecuador are effectively closing their borders to Venezuelan refugees, demanding passports in order to enter. Due to supply shortages and poor telecommunication infrastructure, passports have become increasingly difficult to obtain for the average Venezuelan. This not only drastically limits the number of people emigrating legally, it also encourages increased use of illegal and highly dangerous routes out of Venezuela. As passports are not required for legal entry in, a far larger proportion of refugees are choosing to remain in Columbia than in the past. It is believed that by the end of 2021 there could be up to 6 million Venezuelan refugees in Columbia, making up around 10% of their population and costing the government roughly $9 billion per year to support them.
Despite this, many Venezuelan refugees still face exploitation by being forced to work for sex gangs or in indentured labour in coca fields.
The Venezuelan crisis needs to be seen as a long-term protracted situation. Conditions in Venezuela are highly unlikely to improve anytime soon. Instead of short-term aid, the crisis requires long-term commitments and the successful integration of refugees into their host countries, meaning the ability to acquire a legal status allowing access to legal employment and welfare services. This is going to put a huge strain on host countries many of which continue to have their own political and economic problems. Therefore, the whole international community is needed in order to mitigate any further damage the refugee crisis may cause to the social, political and economic stability of the hosts, and to provide a good, healthy future for the Venezuelan refugees forced to flee.
What can be done to help?
The first step would be the establishment of a uniform means for host countries to grant legal status to refugees. This would prevent border rushes at times when entrance rules are changed and would prevent confusion for refugees trying to enter new countries. It would also enable better tracking of the refugees, producing data that would be helpful for deciding where aid can be employed most effectively.
Once a uniform process of acquiring legal status was in place, the next major issue to tackle would be employment. A potential solution would be the provision of seed capital for micro-entrepreneurs, enabling the jump starting of opportunities in both refugee communities and more broadly in wider society. Apps which could help pair refugees with open job opportunities, especially at new start-ups, would also be hugely beneficial, as would pledges by big corporations and companies to employ a minimum number of refugee workers.
Despite the scale and severity of the Venezuelan migration crisis and the enormous challenge it poses for host countries it receives little international media attention and is relatively unheard of. If Venezuelan refugees and their hosts are to be given the support they need, it’s important that media attention, international aid, and the work of NGOs and private-sector investments are all increased and directed towards the crisis.
The crisis will not be easily resolved and will continue to greatly impact the lives of citizens in many countries over the next few decades. It’s vital that compassion and empathy remain for the refugees and that host countries continue to welcome them and provide them with the opportunities in which to live a dignified life after they have been forced from their home.
The involvement and understanding of the international community are vital, and both third-sector and private sector organisations should continue to look for and trial ideas of how to improve the quality of life of the vast number of Venezuelan refugees. The Venezuelan refugees deserve more. This is a major humanitarian crisis which should not be forgotten by the international community.
Written by Meg Jones, 2019.
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