So far, only 40 Venezuelans have been granted refuge in Brazil, but more than 85,000 applications have been made, most of them in Roraima.
Most of the Venezuelans living in Boa Vista only have temporary residency to stay in the country and are not considered refugees, despite having fled the Venezuelan economic crisis, which has caused hunger and misery for the people of the neighboring country.
The situation of these Venezuelans could change, as Brazil has decided to broaden the concept of 'refugee' after the National Committee for Refugees (Conare) recognized the situation of human rights violations in Venezuela. This should make it even easier for Venezuelans to enter the country and stay in Brazil. The recognition came into effect in June 2019 and was based on item III of article 1 of Law No. 9,474 of 1997.
With the decision, simplified procedures will be adopted in the process of determining the refugee status of Venezuelans, with interviews being carried out in a simple way and the verification of exclusions will also be dispensed with.
The decision does not apply to members or groups of urban guerrillas, as well as members of organized criminal groups and people who materially benefit from the circumstances in Venezuela. It is valid for 12 months and can be extended or reviewed at any time, depending on the circumstances.
"Due to the large number of requests, Brazil has decided to approve refugee requests from Venezuelans based on this new interpretation and the UNHCR has seen the Brazilian government's position very positively, which will give Conare the leeway to accept a greater number of refugee requests. The Brazilian government has kept its borders open, which is fundamental before anything else and has done so since the beginning of the Venezuelan crisis," explained Luis Fernando Godinho, UNHCR spokesperson for Brazil.
According to data from the 'Refuge in Numbers' platform on the Ministry of Justice's website, only 41 Venezuelans had been considered refugees by the National Committee for Refugees (Conare) by July 2018. This is a low percentage compared to the 85,438 requests for Venezuelans to be recognized as refugees.
Of these, 61,681 were received in 2018 alone and 81% of the applications were submitted in the state of Roraima.
The majority of refugee permits are being granted to children who live on the streets and are the biggest victims of Venezuelan migration to Brazil.
This is the case of little Liz Jonaike, 10, who is one of the Venezuelan refugees in the country. Shy, she lives with her mother and an aunt in a temporary shelter located next to Boa Vista's international bus station. The girl's mother, Jonarte Bibiana, 37, says she was robbed the day she arrived in Brazil and put a knife to the child's neck. They took her cell phone, money and all the documents we had. "I didn't get a refugee visa, because I didn't have any documents, just a temporary residence visa, but the girl did, which helps a lot. We don't really know the difference between residence and refuge". Their cousin, 33-year-old shopkeeper Aini Santa Maria, was also granted temporary residence. "Nobody advised us when we arrived about this refuge issue. We thought the permit would be quicker to get a job. I'm a breadwinner and I needed to work soon. In Venezuela we couldn't afford to eat".
Maura Coronaro, 53, lives on the street with 15 other people, including friends, acquaintances, relatives and neighbors from Venezuela. She says she even stayed in a temporary shelter, but when her children were threatened, she decided to live on the street because she thought it would be safer. She has been attacked twice by Brazilians and still hasn't been able to put her children in school, despite the fact that the children have also been granted refugee status.
"We adults only took temporary residence, which is quicker and makes it easier to get a job. We asked for refuge for the Ninos, but nobody told us if we could have refuge or if it was important. But we appreciate all the help we get"