The largest Exodus in the history of Latin America

In Venezuela, there is no end to the political crisis. The situation is getting worse for large parts of the population more and more. Continuously people leave the country in 2018, there were, according to the refugee Agency, UNHCR auxiliary average of 5500 per day. Meanwhile, the number of migrants and refugees has exceeded long ago, the 3-million mark. "This is the largest Exodus in the history of Latin America," says the UNHCR.

The information is based on Numbers of countries in which the Venezuelans flee. In deed and in truth probably much more people are affected, believes the UNHCR. Because often already recognized persons would not be counted. The refugee Agency estimates that the number of Venezuelan immigrants will rise until the end of the year to 5.3 million. The almost the same, many would have fled, as before the civil war in Syria.

For this forecast also speak a variety of surveys such as that of Gallup. The U.S. opinion research Institute has for years, how many Venezuelans would like to leave their country. Already under the former President, Hugo Chávez, there was a lot of emigration-willing citizens. Now their share has risen rapidly.

in 2015, said 22 percent of the respondents Venezuelans that they would like to emigrate if they had the opportunity to do so. In 2018, there were already 36 percent. The equivalent of about 8 million people – nearly one in every four in the country.

Since then, the situation has deteriorated even further: thousands of Venezuelan refugees were in November in line for your travel to Peru. Video: Reuters

reasons for the Exodus are many. Some flee because they are persecuted because of their political opinion. Others, because they follow their family members. The majority of Venezuelans, it's drifting away but simply because you want to survive.

2014 was almost a third of the population as poor. Since then, the poverty rate is exploding. In 2017, the University, Universidad Católica Andrés Bello, one of the largest universities in the country counted, 87 percent of Venezuelans to this category. A large part of them is considered to be extremely poor. And their share is likely to have increased in the past few months.

Many would see no other Option than leaving the country, says Eduardo Stein, the UNHCR special representative for the Venezuelan migrants. "Those I have met during my visits, spoke of Hunger, of poor access to medical care, threats, uncertainty, and fear."

Among the Fleeing of many families, single women and children. You can get the precarious supply to feel the situation is becoming stronger. The infant mortality rate – the proportion of children who die before reaching the first year of life is increased due to malnutrition and lack of medical care since 2011, to 12 percent. For comparison: In the neighboring country of Colombia, it declined in the same period by 2 percent.

For the humanitarian disaster in the country, especially the poor economic situation is responsible. Venezuela is the ölreichste country in the world – the more it was hit from the fall in the price of Oil. As this crashed in 2014 and 2015 by about half, broke the revenue.

at the same time, the US imported less Oil from Venezuela. Under Hugo Chávez, you were the main buyer of Venezuelan oil, and therefore the main financial support of the so-called Bolivarian Revolution. Now the United States of America thanks to new technologies (Fracking), and much more have screwed up the Import. The oil exports of Venezuela, are broke, therefore, visible. In 2018 they were so low in 28 years.

The economy of Venezuela is highly dependent on the raw material. In recent years, the country suffered a double-digit decline in economic performance. In 2017, the gross domestic product fell by 14 percent, in 2018, by as much as 18 percent.

Add to that a Hyperinflation is coming. According to the International monetary Fund (IMF), was the price increase in the past year, nearly 1.4 million percent. This is virtually a total loss of purchasing power. In Latin America, the Inflation is, on average, about 6 percent. Western economies are generally about 2 percent to ensure price stability.

The people in Venezuela pay now almost exclusively with a debit card, because you can't carry as much money as you need to go shopping. Many can't afford the important basic food.

as a result, many Venezuelans, and Venezuelans trying to escape the misery by emigration. They often take dangerous routes, and long foot marches, to enter the neighboring country of Colombia and in other Latin American countries.

most of the refugees are stranded in Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Brazil. There, the authorities are unable to cope with the rush of people who often need medical help. Worsens the situation of the Indigenous, the migrants, according to Reports by UN aid organisations in different places, and attacked and threatened.

"they flee from Hunger": editor-in-Chief Judith Wittwer shows your "picture of the year 2018". It is a humanitarian disaster.

(editing Tamedia)

Created: 05.02.2019, 16:08 PM