Research Paper

Country of study: Venezuela

Article – Venezuelan women: The unseen victims of the humanitarian crisis

Link: https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atlanticist/venezuelan-women-the-unseen-victims-of-the-humanitarian-crisis/

As discussed in my previous blog, as a result of the severe case of humanitarian crisis, and due to both economic and political instability, approximately 5.3 million refugees and immigrants have been forced to leave Venezuela. Among these, there is one particular group in society, that has been disproportionately affected by this terrible situation, and by the difficult decision to abandon the country; Venezuelan women. Despite gender inequality not being a secret, nor being “old school” in Latin America; especially in Venezuela, the humanitarian crisis has played a massive role, as it has been the cause for women getting more vulnerable socially, politically, and financially, and not only that, but also, made discrimination and sexual violence a commonplace.

Based on a recent report made by the Venezuelan non-profit organization Center for Peace and Justice (CEPAZ), the vulnerability of women through the crisis has been truly compromised due to the lack of institutions and governance, in addition to impoverishment, and lack of basic needs such as medicine and food, among other leading factors. 

Historically, women have been one of the main beneficiaries in the social and economic programs of the Venezuelan government, this because such government “aimed to fight poverty and promoted social inclusion.” (Chavez, 2020). However, due to the worsening of the economic crisis in the country, most Venezuelans are mainly relying on those programs in order to access minimum levels of income to buy the truly most basic needs; food. Unfortunately, the authoritarian leader, Nicolas Maduro, and his awful regime are taking full advantage of these conditions, as a way of controlling the social mechanisms, like that, only providing access to the programs to exclusively those who pledge loyalty over his political regime. Sadly, discrimination like that has affected the lives of thousands of women and their families, who have been targeted for speaking out against the government. 
As, Angela Chavez discusses in the article, Venezuelan women: The unseen victims of the humanitarian crisis, “The lack of economic security and political discrimination in government social programs are among the many variables that have driven Venezuelans to migrate.” (Chavez, 2020). The latest United Nations World Food Program report showed that about one in three Venezuelans struggle to meet the minimum nutrition requirements with their current food intake. Therefore, echoing the 2019 United Nations High Commissioner’s report on Venezuela’s human rights, which highlighted that “access to food due to scarcity as well as unaffordability has a particularly adverse impact on women who are the main caregivers and/or heads of households, and who dedicate an average of ten hours per day queuing for food.” (UNHCR, 2019). Such report also added the fact that the highest level of malnourishment was found among pregnant women and children. In addition, the report also confirmed the lack of access to food and health, which increases levels of violence and insecurity, thus collapsing basic services, such as lack of access to pre and post-natal care, deterioration of education system, and persecution on political grounds are among the many reasons Venezuelan women decide to leave their country in search of better opportunities. Gender vulnerability grows exponentially, however, with the risks that women face as migrants both in transit and destination countries. (Chavez, 2020).


References:
Chavez, A. (2020). Venezuelan women: The unseen victims of the humanitarian crisis. https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atlanticist/venezuelan-women-the-unseen-victims-of-the-humanitarian-crisis/. 
UN High Commissioner for Refugees. (2020). UNHCR - Global Trends 2019: Forced Displacement in 2019. UNHCR Global Trends 2019. https://www.unhcr.org/globaltrends2019/.