In Uruguay, it is estimated that the number of Venezuelans at the end of August is 22,000, marking an increase of 346 compared to July, when the figure was 21,413 according to data from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
Most of the migrants, specifically 5.75 million, have ended up in Latin American and Caribbean countries. Colombia alone brings together 2.48 million Venezuelans, reports the Interagency Coordination Platform for Refugees and Migrants from Venezuela (R4V).
Colombia is followed by Peru (1.22 million), Ecuador (502,000), Chile (448,000) and Brazil (358,000), although the list includes a total of 17 Latin American countries as recipients of the Venezuelan exodus derived from the political and social crisis .
The new R4V report, led by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), represents a drastic increase in relation to the data of a report from the beginning of July that gave account of 6.1 million Venezuelan migrants and refugees, including almost 5.1 million in the region. The report indicates that “in the first five months of 2022 they observed a significant increase in the number of refugees and migrants from Venezuela who they made several new and successive movements; between them in transit overland north through Central America. Due to border closures and/or new visa requirements, refugees and migrants mostly traveled through irregular routes where they were exposed to dangers of great physical harm, exploitation and abuse. Currently, all the countries of the Central American subregion and Mexico have introduced visa requirements for Venezuelans.
The UN warns that “refugees and migrants from Venezuela have become even more vulnerable, among other things due to the loss of their already limited social and economic support to cover basic needs, especially in vital areas, such as health, accommodation, food, protection and health care. The serious impact of the current situation has made some people consider returning to their country of origin, including through initiatives supported by the Government of Venezuela.
