Civil society urges governments to offer adequate asylum for Venezuelans

Organizations from Latin America and the Caribbean demand that immigrants are treated in line with human rights standards

Civil society organizations expressed concern over the situation facing hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans who have been forced to leave their country in recent years and urged governments from the region to take steps to provide adequate asylum for these people. The demands were made during the Consultation Meeting of Latin America and the Caribbean on the Global Compact on Refugees, which took place in Brasília on February 19 and 20.

According to UNHCR (UN refugee agency), the number of Venezuelan asylum seekers increased 8,828% between 2012 and 2016. As a result of this situation, the organizations have asked governments from the region to commit to a comprehensive approach based on the principle of shared responsibility and to adopt measures to provide humanitarian asylum and international protection for Venezuelan immigrants.

The organizations also emphasized the importance of not adopting measures that could violate human rights or breach the principle of non-refoulement. As such, they recognized the importance of action by international bodies: “it would be particularly important to facilitate the field visits of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to get to know the situation faced by the Venezuelans, the efforts that different countries are making and to share good practices,” said the organizations in an open letter.

The public statement was signed by Conectas, GARPAB (Regional Working Group for the Brazil Plan of Action), CEPRI (Center for the Protection of Refugees and Immigrants), CELS (Center for Legal and Social Studies), IMUMI (Institute for Women in Migration), FM4 Paso Libre (Dignidad y Justicia en el Camino or Dignity and Justice in the Journey) and the Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent De Paul, among others.

• Click here to read the letter in full