Colombia is the country most impacted by the outflow of over 5.4 million refugees and migrants from Venezuela, the second largest forced displacement crisis globally and the largest ever in Latin America. It has also been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, with over 1.8 million confirmed cases and more than 46,700 deaths as of mid-January 2021, which makes Colombia one of the five countries most adversely affected by the pandemic worldwide.
By late 2020, there were over 1.7 million Venezuelan refugees and migrants living in Colombia. Some 120,000 returned home in 2020 after losing income because of the pandemic, but with the easing of lockdowns many have started to return to Colombia. The Colombian migratory authority, Migración Colombia, estimates 80% of those Venezuelans who returned home during the pandemic will re-enter Colombia in 2021, accompanied by one or more individuals. Hundreds are already entering Colombia daily via informal border points, while the official border with Venezuela remains closed.
It is expected that by end of 2021 there will be nearly 2.1 million Venezuelans in Colombia, as well as some 980,000 Colombian returnees and people with dual nationality. An additional 1.9 million people are expected to engage in pendular movements, crossing the border into Colombia for a short period of time to access basic needs and services. Under the 2021 Refugee and Migrant Response Plan (RMRP), UNHCR will provide protection and assistance to this population, their host communities, as well as to particularly vulnerable people in transit.
While Colombia’s asylum system has offered protection to a small but growing number of Venezuelans, many seek to regularize their stay through the Special Stay Permit (PEP, per the acronym in Spanish), which enables legal access to employment. The PEP currently allows over 716,500 Venezuelans to reside legally in Colombia for up to two years, with access to basic services and the labour market. Despite this high number, some 56% of the Venezuelan population lacks regular status and is more vulnerable to protection risks. UNHCR will prioritize support to strengthening the asylum system and advocating for all Venezuelans, including asylum-seekers, to access legal employment and to regularize their stay.
Special attention will be paid to Venezuelan women and girls for minimizing protection risks, which have been amplified with the COVID-19 pandemic. As of September 2020, the Ministry of Health registered 2,532 cases of gender-based violence against Venezuelan women and girls, a 41.5% increase compared to 2019. The Ministry of the Interior also identified 19 cases of human trafficking among Venezuelans in 2020. Nevertheless, underreporting of gender-based violence and human trafficking persists, alongside significant challenges to identify and respond to survivors.
UNHCR will maintain its engagement in the inter-agency response to Colombia’s internal conflict, in light of challenges to implement the 2016 Peace Agreement, and continued forced displacements and confinements. In some departments, armed actors take advantage of limited State presence and COVID-19-related restrictions to exercise more control over communities. Protection needs in conflict-affected areas remain pressing, due to: armed clashes; targeted killings of community leaders (310 in 2020); massacres (66 as of December 2020, the highest number since 2007); recruitment and use of children by armed groups which also affected Venezuelan children; stigmatization of communities and social organizations; sexual violence and use of anti-personnel mines and unexploded ordnances, which caused 165 victims in 2020). Indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities are most affected by the eroding security situation. It is expected that forced displacement and confinement will persist in 2021, with some opportunities to promote durable solutions in urban areas.
The operation in Colombia will maintain an area-based approach in communities with both Venezuelans and internally displaced population. Under this approach, UNHCR seeks to provide protection and drive solutions for all people of concern and their hosting communities, maximizing opportunities to improve living conditions in a certain area.
2021