About half of the 3.3 million Venezuelans who fled their country have been forced to beg, force their children to work or take other drastic measures to survive, according to survey results in eight countries in the region released by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) on Friday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th July, 2019) About half of the 3.3 million Venezuelans who fled their country have been forced to beg, force their children to work or take other drastic measures to survive, according to survey results in eight countries in the region released by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) on Friday."A survey of Venezuelans who have fled their country has found that half (50.2 percent) of the families interviewed faced or continue to face specific risks during their journey because of their age, gender, health or other needs, or because they had to make drastic choices to cope, including begging, sending their children to work or even resorting to survival sex," the UNHCR said in a press release summarizing the survey results.
More than a third (34 percent) of those surveyed said they did not have any kind of documentation, either because they had entered a country illegally or because their entry permits had expired, the release said.
The rest had tourist or temporary visas, with just 4 per cent having permanent residency, the release added.
The United Nations estimates that 3.3 million Venezuelans have fled their nation as a result of political turmoil, sanctions and economic problems that have created deteriorating living conditions.
