Since the beginning of the terrible crisis that plagues Venezuela due to the drop in the price of a barrel of oil in 2014, thousands of Venezuelans have come to Brazil to try a new life and escape poverty, the problem is that they are going through the same situation in the country. that they chose as a refuge.
But why did all this start and what happened in Venezuela to make the people decide to leave the country?
In the 1950s, Venezuela was one of the richest countries in Latin America and this was only possible after large oil reserves were discovered near Lake Maracaibo in 1914. At that time, Venezuela was a power that flirted with the United States and struggled to be a major regional influence.
Democracy, until then implemented by Hugo Chávez, was praised in various parts of the world. The government invested a good part of the money raised from the export of oil in social projects, something completely beneficial to the population and which also helped to strengthen the president's image.
Hugo Chávez subsidized food, improved the education system, contributed to keeping the health system stable and managed to reduce poverty by more than half. But the government's astronomical mistake was not to have reduced Venezuela's dependence on oil, which to this day is the country's main economic source, and also not to have stopped domestic spending.
In other words, the success of Hugo Chávez and his successor Nicolás Maduro was linked to the price of a barrel. With that, it was enough for the value of oil to fall for Venezuela's economy to start to sink.
This is exactly what happened in June 2014, when Maduro was already president of the country. A barrel of oil plummeted from US$115 to below US$50, a loss of 60%. In the golden period, Venezuela collected more than 90 billion dollars from exports, now, in the era of lean cows, the value is well below, reaching just over US$ 2 billion.
And the reason for the drop was overproduction, especially in the US shale areas. At the end of 2014, the blow was even worse in the face of excess supply and the refusal of oil-exporting countries to reduce their production ceiling, regardless of the price on the international market.
This made Venezuela's inflation skyrocket and push the country into the abyss. More than 94% of the Venezuelan population today are poor, they live on just 3 dollars a day. Another 76% are in misery.
The situation is so critical that no country in the world has so many people without anything to eat and the basics needed to live. One in three people are malnourished and 30% of children between 0 and 5 years old suffer from chronic malnutrition.
In the country, there is almost no drinking water to supply hospitals, in addition to a lack of resources and products for performing surgeries and other medical procedures.
Families who abandoned their homes sell them practically for free and even then no one wants to buy, so they give up the property so that someone can live and at the same time take care of the house.
According to reports from Venezuelans who live in Brazil, they say they have food and hygiene products and internet in Venezuela, but the prices are so high that it is impossible for the vast majority of the population to have access. Currently, the country's minimum wage is 7,000 bolivars, which is equivalent to just over US$ 1.70.
Wanting to escape this situation, thousands of Venezuelans cross the border with Brazil: there are more than 500 every day. The Federal Police only allows entry of 50 people a day from Monday to Saturday on a first-come, first-served basis, which means that most of them spend nights waiting for their turn while sleeping in the open.
Venezuelans are allowed to enter Brazil under government-approved immigration regulations, which say that Venezuelans affected by the crisis can enter the country for humanitarian reasons. They are free to enter any point on the border with Venezuela, but most of them arrive through Pacaraima, a municipality located in Roraima.
The UN estimates that by the end of this year Brazil will have around 9 million Venezuelan refugees, and to be able to support them all, the government will have to disburse the amount of R$ 1.8 million.
When crossing the border, foreigners are waiting for the release of the documents necessary to move on with their lives. It turns out that Brazil does not have jobs for everyone in Roraima and the city also does not have the structure to receive so many people. Many cannot find work and have to live on the streets, further increasing inequality in the country. Those with better conditions go to other states to try their luck.
In addition to experiencing numerous problems, Venezuelans also face cases of xenophobia, which has led to an increase in cases of violence in the region. Not to mention that there is still a lack of education for children, steady jobs and health support, even so Venezuelans say that the situation in Brazil is better than in Venezuela.
What minimizes their suffering are the shelters that offer accommodation and try to insert them into the job market, directing many families to other states.
According to analysts, the issue is not migration, but the lack of adequate public policies to welcome these people and also the concentration of Venezuelans in just one place.
In Brazil, only 1% of the population is immigrants, unlike other parts of the world where immigrants represent 3%.
Photo: Illustration
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