The Drama Of A Refugee Town “There’s certainly no greater pain than losing one’s homeland,” said Euripedes (431 a.c.). In more than 2000 years, history has proved him right countless times. Losing your homeland in most cases, not only strips one from his/her home and lively hood, but loved ones, dignity, protection and identity. For that reason, much attention is given to those whose only options available are to leave or to perish. Little is said about the ones who find themselves obliged to open their doors to poverty and despair. This is the case of Brasiléia, a small town of around 20.000 habitants in the Northern Region of Brazil. It was the Haitian earthquake of 2010 that caused the town to hit headlines nationally and internationally as thousands fled to the town. A bridge which connects Brazil to Bolivia and its geographic location today puts Brasiléia in the middle of a humanitarian crisis. Located in the state of Acre, where less than 40% of the population has access to safe water supply and with an illiteracy rate of 15%, Brasiléia has its own problems. The 2012 floods reached 70% of the towns urban area, more than 1200 were affected. Until recently the firefighter truck was used to transport patients to the main hospital as there were no ambulances available. Taking these facts into account, Brasiléia does not seem like a good place to start a new life or search for an opportunity. However for Haitians, who leave behind a country devastated by an earthquake, endemic corruption deadly hurricanes and diseases, Brasiléia is seen as the arrival line of an expensive and dangerous marathon. With no visa or hope of a better future in Haiti, many take the illegal and long route to Brazil. The journey crosses 5 or 6 countries. By car, by coach, by boat, flying. The mean of transportation doesn’t matter, as long as they have thousands of dollars to pay coyotes and bribe Peruvian officers. By the time they reach the Brazil, their pockets are as empty as their stomach. The region is not the end destination. Attracted by the economic boom and great events such as the World Cup and the Olympic games, all immigrants want to go to Rio or São Paulo, but with nothing more than the clothes they are wearing, Haitians have no option but to stay in the border towns hoping to find a job there so they can make money to reach their final destination. The latest figures show that on average 70 immigrants arrive in Brasiléia daily. Since they have nowhere to stay, an old shed which used to be leisure club is the only accommodation they can count on. With 10 toilets, 8 showers and three taps, it can accommodate around 300 people. Today, 1200 live in the shed. The poor living conditions of the immigrants not only affect themselves, but the local population. Nearly all immigrants interviewed by Conectas Direitos Humanos (an NGO based in São Paulo) between 4th and 6th August, 2013, complained of abdominal pain and diarrhoea. The only hospital of the town with and A&E department has 46 beds. According to the staff, there have been diarrhoea outbreaks that took 40 Haitians to the hospital at once. Despite the local people’s typical Brazilian hospitality, the chaotic situation is overwhelming for everyone. João Paulo Charleaux from Conectas said: “There have been complaints from Brasiléia dwellers. There has also been political use of the local people’s dissatisfaction. The fact is that the Haitian immigrants count upon relative support from the Federal Government, which helps to ameliorate the local impact. We defend a great participation from the Federal Government on the matter, so the pressure can be released from the population and local governs.” The Ministry of Justice decided to limit the entrance of immigrants in the country for a period of 60 days back in January 2012. At the time, only 100 immigrants were allowed in as long as they had a work visa obtained in Haiti. As the measure was unable to control the flow of Haitians in the country, a special humanitarian visa was created in order to avoid the human trafficking caused by illegal immigration. Haitian migrants in Brazil youtube/watch?v=M43W3BF5cx8 Haitians claim that the concession of humanitarian visas from Port-au-Prince do not work as promised. There are no clear instructions on the procedure to follow and the Brazilian Embassy usually asks for the curriculum vitae in order to promote a “qualified immigration” to Brazil. It is estimated that only 1% of Haitian immigrants don’t have any sort of qualification. On the 16th of January, the State of Acre proposed to ask the Ministry of Justice once again,for the closure of the borders with Peru in order to avoid having to declare a state of emergency, in April 2013 a state of emergency was declared. In case of approval, the Peruvian and Bolivian coyotes will probably see the demand of their services increase. Haitians will be stuck in Iñapari, a Peruvian town close to the border where immigrants have no help from local or federal government. According to Conectas, “this is not the first time Brasiléia receives foreigners running away from poor conditions. For its characteristics, there should be a civil defense plan, integrated by the federal and local government to deal with the contingency that probably will repeat in the future.” internationalpoliticalforum/the-drama-of-a-refugee-town/
Posted on: Thu, 23 Jan 2014 23:05:10 +0000
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