Over the past few months, the mass exodus of refugees from Syria to countries in the European Union, as well as political discourse in countries such as Germany and Hungary, has been dominating global headlines. Significantly less talked about, however, is the role that South American countries have been playing in the absorption of refugees from the Civil War.
Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile, Brazil and, recently, Venezuela have taken in thousands of refugees over the past couple of years. Brazil has taken in the most refugees; they’ve accepted over 2,000, which is second in the Americas only to Canada. On Monday of this week, Brazil’s National Committee for Refugees approved an extension granting special visas for asylum seekers, which means they will continue to take refugees for at least two more years.
The Brazilian policy of accepting Syrian refugees started in 2013, when the Ministry of Justice began issuing humanitarian visas to Syrian refugees through its Lebanese embassy in Beirut. While the numbers who have been accepted are relatively small — mainly due to geographic reasons and economic concerns — the Brazilian government’s policy has provided an important and safe alternative to the dangerous trek to Europe.
Recent photos of a three year-old boy who drowned at sea while attempting to get from Turkey to Greece have been a dark reminder of just how dangerous this crossing is. Additionally, a boat trip from Turkey to Greece can cost refugees between $3,000 and $4,000; a flight to Brazil costs around half as much and poses almost no risks to the refugees’ safety, a factor that has contributed greatly to the decisions of many of the refugees who have accepted Brazil’s offer.
One of the key advantages to Brazil’s policy is that refugees are allowed to work and receive education while they are having their claims processed by the government, which can take a long time. In countries such as the United Kingdom, refugees aren’t allowed to work and are instead expected to survive on government subsidies of as little as $7.70 a day.
There are some drawbacks to the asylum situation in Brazil. The degree of official government support that the refugees receive once they arrive has been relatively negligible, in part due to the Brazilian Ministry of Justice not having the resources to deal with the recent uptick in refugee applications; the Ministry admitted in August that as many as 12,000 applications were pending approval. Fortunately, the refugees have received an incredible degree of support from local Brazilian communities. Brazil, a country that prides its national identity on its multiculturalism, has as many as 10,000,000 people of Syrian and Lebanese descent living in the country — around 5 percent of the population — and this community, as well as others, has been instrumental in helping the refugees to adapt both culturally and economically to their new homes and lives.
Brazil deserves recognition for the work it has been doing to help refugees. By the same token, the government needs to increase the resources available to the Ministry of Justice in processing and assisting the refugees.