68,000 Migrants Restore Their Lives as Refugees in Ecuador

Ecuadortimes:

Today, Thursday, June 20, marks World Refugee Day and the National Government ratifies its efforts to respond to new requests for shelter, as well as to provide humanitarian and legal support to those in need.

Around 68,000 people from more than 70 countries have been recognized as refugees in Ecuador in the last 30 years. According to the United Nations, 68.5 million people around the world have been forced to leave their homes because of conflict and persecution.

Today, Thursday, June 20, commemorates World Refugee Day, the individual who left his country of origin to seek better living conditions. Since Monday, June 17, EL TELÉGRAFO has published a series of reports as a tribute to those who abandoned the scenarios of war, persecution and violence to rebuild their lives in Ecuador.

This contribution will end next Monday, June 24. According to José Valencia, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility, 98% of the refugees in Ecuador are of Colombian nationality. They fled their country’s internal armed conflict.

María Clara Martin, from the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), highlights that Ecuador is the country that has recognized more refugees in Latin America and the Caribbean. It has migrants from Cuba, Venezuela, Afghanistan, Syria, Peru, Yemen, Iraq, Iran, among other countries.

Ecuadorian legislation does not consider any person to be illegal because of their migratory status. All have equal rights with Ecuadorians. These principles help the economic and social inclusion of refugees, which implies access to services, health, education, the labor market, among others.

In addition, the State provides humanitarian and legal assistance to refugees. To this end, it works in coordination with UNHCR. Martin indicates that this organism has supported the Ecuadorian Government in the provision of lodging, food, potable water and medical attention. Currently, the State has new challenges to face in the face of the thousands of requests for refuge from Venezuelan migrants.

From 2018 to 31 May, Ecuador had a total of 18,000 requests for refuge, of which 4,000 have already entered a process of determining refuge. According to the UN, by December of this year in Ecuador there will be 500,000 migrants from Venezuela.

Thus, the government is analyzing several possibilities to attend to this wave of travelers. It raffles the option of granting humanitarian visas. In addition, work is being done to collaborate with the Global Compact for Refugees. Martin highlights Ecuador’s work in care, reception, inclusion and how to deal with applications.

“Ecuador is a leader in refugee education. It is well above the world average,” Martin says.   In addition, he believes that “people can not only live together, but also move forward, contribute and make the larger country united.

A Story of Overcoming

Octavio B., a Colombian refugee, agrees with Martin. He believes that mutual support makes great societies. The 64-year-old man arrived in Ecuador in 1985 after subversive groups killed his wife and two younger brothers. “I led them to their deaths. They were killed because of me,” Octavio recalls.

He was a neighborhood leader in Villagorgona Candelaria, the town where he was born and grew up. He assures that he always looked after the poorest. On one occasion he organized his neighbors to take an abandoned piece of land that served as a den for thieves and rapists. Today it is home to 70 families.

“That was from a ‘duro’ (narco-trafficker), but people needed a place to live,” he says. This defense for the poorest brought him enemies. After receiving several death threats, he fled his country through the mountains to Quito. He could not enter through the legal passage because he was being persecuted.

He had to fight to install a shoe store, where today employs more migrants. For several years he remained illegal. A little more than five years ago he managed to obtain his refugee status.

This allows him to follow training courses, apply for credit; sometimes he received food stamps and housing assistance. He is now waiting for his citizenship card. (I)

Octavio B., a Colombian refugee, agrees with Martin. He believes that mutual support makes great societies. The 64-year-old man arrived in Ecuador in 1985 after subversive groups killed his wife and two younger brothers. “I led them to their deaths.

They were killed because of me,” Octavio recalls. He was a neighborhood leader in Villagorgona Candelaria, the town where he was born and grew up. He assures that he always looked after the poorest. On one occasion he organized his neighbors to take an abandoned piece of land that served as a den for thieves and rapists.

Today it is home to 70 families. “That was from a ‘duro’ (narco-trafficker), but people needed a place to live,” he says. This defense for the poorest brought him enemies. After receiving several death threats, he fled his country through the mountains to Quito.

He could not enter through the legal passage because he was being persecuted. He had to fight to install a shoe store, where today employs more migrants. For several years he remained illegal.

A little more than five years ago he managed to obtain his refugee status. This allows him to follow training courses, apply for credit; sometimes he received food stamps and housing assistance. He is now waiting for his citizenship card. (I)

Source: https://www.eltelegrafo.com.ec/noticias/sociedad/6/migrantes-restablecieron-refugiados-ecuador