Brazil Sets Example in Welcoming Migrant Children, Says UNICEF

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Brazil has recorded significant progress in the rights of children and adolescents. Moreover, the result of policies to protect, encourage education and promote health in this age group is also reflected in the migrant populations sheltered in the country.

This is the opinion of Florence Bauer, representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in the country.

Since 2017, over 200,000 people have come to Brazil fleeing the economic, political and social crisis in Venezuela. Of that total, according to UNICEF, almost 10,000 are children and adolescents in vulnerable situations.

The figure is a projection, since there are no official data, and covers the period between 2015 and 2019.

“Brazil has played a very important role since the beginning [of the Venezuelan crisis]. Brazil has invested resources in Operation Reception and obtained a very positive response. The leadership of the Brazilian government in this type of situation is exemplary.”

“Brazil is a welcoming country and provides all the basic services that children need. But even so, there are challenges related to integrating this population and this is the work that UNICEF plans to develop from now on,” she said.

Challenges for the future

Despite the country’s good performance, the United Nations agency points to several potential improvements in the area.

Data from the report that marks the 30th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, released this week and to which Brazil is a signatory, show that approximately 27 million children still suffer deprivation of at least one of the basic fundamental rights.

In addition, almost two million children and adolescents are out of school in the compulsory age group, from 4 to 17 years old. The report also points to an alarming increase in homicides among youths aged 10 to 18: 191,000 deaths in the last decade.

Source: Agência Brasil