Venezuelan Migrants suffer Exclusion and Discrimination in Peru and Ecuador

Venezuelan migrants and refugees are highly exposed to situations of exclusion and discrimination in Peru and Ecuador, due to living conditions with scarce economic resources and shared housing, according to a report by the NGO Plan International published this Thursday.

Specifically, minors and refugee or migrant women are the group that is at greatest risk and vulnerability since employment is scarce, they suffer gender violence, discrimination, limitations in access to services and limitations to achieve a regular status in the country, among others.

“These figures show one of the many facets of gender discrimination that Venezuelan women face and the multiple negative effects for their children and dependent minors, taking into account that a large percentage of families are single-parent and headed by women” said the coordinator of Plan’s Regional Program for Response to the Venezuelan Crisis, Anyi Morales.

The study data, prepared by Plan International together with their partners Copeme and Terranueva, show that in Ecuador 77% of Venezuelan households live in overcrowded conditions and in Peru 50% of families.

The pandemic increased the risk of evictions due to the economic crisis, as “self-employment” between venezuelans is still higher than among the local population: in Peru stands at 83.2% and Ecuador 70.9%.

Regarding education, in Ecuador only 52.5% of minors are enrolled, while Peru The rate stands at 69.1%, while in both countries the majority of refugees and migrants do not have any type of health insurance.

The study also shows discrimination by gender, since 58.4% of refugee and migrant women from Peru and Ecuador report higher figures of marginality, compared to Venezuelan men.

This is also reflected in the workplace, since in Peru 65.5% of women work compared to 98% of men, and in Ecuador, 20.6% of women compared to 42.5% of men.

The crisis of Venezuela It has caused the departure of more than 5.5 million people from the country, 25% of them minors. Most are in the Americas region, estimating that more than 415,000 Venezuelans live in Ecuador, and more than 1.4 million in Peru.