Requests for refuge more than doubled from 2012 to 2013 in Brazil
Up to May this year, a total of 684 requests for refuge have been granted in the country. UNHCR estimates the number of requests might reach 12 thousand by the end of 2014.
The number of people who sought refuge in Brazil in 2013 more than doubled from 2012. Last year, 5,256 people filed requests, against little more than 2 thousand in the previous year, according to a report released on Wednesday (May 14) by the National Committee for Refugees (“Conare”) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Compared with 2010, the figure is up 800%.
Brazilian law grants the right to refuge to victims of persecution for reasons of politics, race, religion or sexuality, or serious and generalized human rights violations. Up to May this year, a total of 684 requests for refuge have been granted in the country. UNHCR estimates the number of requests might reach 12 thousand by the end of 2014.
For Conare Chairman Paulo Abrão, the growth can be mostly explained by the aggravation of international conflicts and by the influx of immigrants coming into countries viewed as “lands of opportunities” – particularly the migration flow between countries in the southern hemisphere, which currently accounts for 40% of all the world’s migration movements.
“Brazil’s humanitarian practice is outstanding, as well as its traditional respect for human rights, and UNHCR has explicitly acknowledged that,” declared UN’s representative in Brazil Andrés Ramirez. In his view, the larger number of requests is a trend that “has been clear since 2010; it’s not a novelty started in 2012. This is an exponential rise.”
Brazil has currently 5,208 refugees from 80 nationalities, 90% of whom aging between 18 and 30, and 66% male. Most of them come from Syria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Colombia and Pakistan. The Brazilian states targeted by most refuge-seekers are: São Paulo (23%), Paraná (20,7%) and the Federal District (14%).
The report further reveals that the increase in the number of requests for refuge between 2010 and 2013 is due to Brazil’s specific legislation and the country’s status as the main donator of funds to UNHCR – over $4.97 million has been donated throughout this 4-year period.
Brazil has recently created new rules which make the grant of refuge faster. They come into force next Wednesday.
Translated by Fabrício Ferreira
Fonte: Requests for refuge more than doubled from 2012 to 2013 in Brazil
