Amnesty International urges countries in the region to guarantee the rights of Venezuelan migrants
Amnesty International (AI) called on the countries of Latin America, which meet today and tomorrow in Quito to address Venezuelan migration, guarantee the rights of these people and refrain from “imposing barriers that hinder” their access to protection mechanisms.
In a letter, the NGO called on governments “to provide unrestricted access to international protection systems such as shelter or other complementary mechanisms” and “to refrain from imposing barriers that hinder access to these protection mechanisms, including the imposition of an application of passports or visas. ”
In this sense, the document said that countries “should take protective measures that allow a ‘Prima Facie’ recognition” that offers solutions to Venezuelans “through a legal stay and with the appropriate safeguards” in “strict adherence and respect. to the principle of non-refoulement. ”
AI, which states that the countries of the region “must express unanimously that Venezuela” is going through a situation of “massive violations of human rights,” also requested to guarantee “minimum standards” of legality so that Venezuelan migrants can access rights such as health, education or work.
The association also recommends these countries and organizations such as the UN “work together” to seek shared solutions to the problem of Venezuelan migration.
“In particular, they must take into account that durable solutions require strong alliances and tangible commitments in terms of technical and economic resources.
Latin America has the opportunity to advance in the operationalization of the principle of shared responsibility that includes the complementarity between humanitarian aid and cooperation for development, “he added.
Authorities from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay are meeting today to seek solutions to the massive emigration of Venezuelans, the largest humanitarian crisis facing the continent with more than two million migrants.
