04.2018
Fiorenza Kuthan, Protection specialist, SDC Cooperation Office, Swiss Embassy in Colombia
"Somos Panas Colombia" – "we are mates Colombia"
in Venezuelan slang, is the title of the UNHCR campaign launched in
December 2017 in Colombia, in an effort to counter the rising climate of
xenophobia and discrimination towards Venezuelan people arriving and
living in the country as a result of the complex political and
socio-economic developments in Venezuela.
Colombia
has been the host country in the Americas most directly impacted by the
situation in Venezuela. At the end of January 2018, the Government
estimated that over 550'000 Venezuelans were living in the country,
almost doubling the estimated 300'000 as of mid-2017. In addition, over
230'000 Colombians, including refugees, left Venezuela between July and
December 2017, to return to their country of origin. The current figures
are unknown, however humanitarian organizations working in the field
have informed that the situation is worsening and that the number of
people crossing the border to Colombia is increasing. Whilst
not all Venezuelans leaving their country are prompted to do so for
refugee-related reasons, it is becoming increasingly clear that a
significant number are indeed in need of international protection and
humanitarian assistance and are unable to return.
The
current situation raises a series of complex protection challenges
affecting all people displaced from Venezuela, but particularly those
who find themselves at the borders, in an irregular situation, as well
as vulnerable groups such as women, children and indigenous communities.
Despite the efforts of the Government of Colombia, it is estimated that
68% of the displaced from Venezuela in Colombia have no regular status
and therefore are unable to access basic services or work in the formal
sector. Local host communities are facing increased pressure and require
support to respond to communal needs. In the meantime, manifestations
of xenophobia, discrimination, intolerance, rejection, stigma and verbal
abuse are on the rise.
The anti-xenophobia "Somos Panas Colombia" campaign[1],
which is part of a UNHCR regional strategy to fight xenophobia against
Venezuelan people in the whole region, has been launched with the aim of
building a culture of solidarity and generating an environment
favourable to the presence of Venezuelan people in Colombia by showing
the history behind each person who left his/her country for a better
future. In this context, Smart Films, the Colombian Film Festival Made
with Cell Phones, joined the UNHCR "Somos Panas Colombia" Campaign
launching a creative challenge to the Colombian population: it created a
film contest, in which people all over Colombia were asked to portray
stories inspired by Venezuelans living in Colombia and submit them via a
cell phone. The contest received 52 chronicles – 4 of which were
awarded in a ceremony held in March 2018. The winning chronicles are the
short stories "Empanadas de hambre" by Daniel Martínez; "Coffee cake" by Ginna Parra, "Venezobias" and "Anamnesis". The short films can be seen at https://goo.gl/nfUs81 .
By putting the person at the centre of the debate, the "SomosPanas"
Campaign acts against the dehumanizing discourse hidden behind
terminologies such as "flows" or "waves", in which, in the words of the
former Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, the
individual has no place, no name, and no rights, and disappears into a
shapeless mass[2]
In the frame of the Swiss Cooperation Strategy for Colombia 2017-2020,
SDC closely follows the situation at the borders with Venezuela and
works in cooperation with its trusted partners such as the Norwegian
Refugee Council NRC, UNHCR and the World Food Program WFP and in
coordination with the Government of Colombia to provide assistance to
the displaced populations at the borders, particularly in the areas of
education in emergencies, legal assistance and nutrition and considering
both the national and regional impacts of this situation.
Link to the Campaign: www.somospanascolombia.com
Videos available at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDC1pF83lsYE7_eoy8Acv7w
[1] See: www.somospanascolombia.com
[2] François Crépeau, former Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants: "the whole of the human rights movement is about individualizing, about refusing to apply stereotypical collective tags to individuals", ref. GFMD presentation notes, RT 3. Empowering migrants, their households and communities for improved protection of rights and social development outcomes, https://goo.gl/XW6ChY
