Argentina - IOM facilitated a high level meeting convened in Brasilia between  government representatives from Haiti and Brazil, to discuss increased Haitian migration to the South American country.

At the three-day meeting, IOM migration officials facilitated the exchange of information and discussions aimed at identifying strategies to ensure that migration flows between the two countries are safe, creation of mechanisms to strengthen regular migration channels, and combating human trafficking and migrant smuggling.

Preliminary results of the IOM research on Haitian migration to Brazil, funded by IOM’s Development Fund, confirm that Haitian migration to Brazil increased following the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti in January 2010.

The IOM research looked at Ecuador and Peru, among the main transit countries for migrants. Migrants arrive in Quito and travel through the Peruvian regions of Tumbes, Lima and Madre de Dios to reach the northern State of Acre, Brazil.

The Brazilian Government has established a shelter in Acre to provide basic emergency services to migrants and to expedite the registration and issuance of migration and work documents.  The Brazilian government has also done away with the yearly quota of visas issued to Haitian nationals.

The IOM research also confirmed that during the eight first months of 2013, Brazil has awarded more than 2,500 visas to Haitians. Fifty percent of applicants are aged between 25 and 34.

“The routes these migrants take are long and can be dangerous, but the IOM study has revealed that the decision to migrate stems from little hope for personal development, especially due to greater economic uncertainty following the earthquake,” explains Jorge Peraza, IOM Regional Project Development Officer for South America.

“Migration from Haiti is not a new phenomenon; we are simply seeing new destinations such as Brazil, but also Argentina and Chile, amongst others.   Some migrants have decided to settle, even if on a temporary basis, in transit countries such as Ecuador,” adds Peraza.

The study also confirms the existence of established smuggling networks that meet the migrants arriving in Quito, Ecuador on flights from Panama.   They arrange for basic food and shelter, false travel documents and continued transportation. 

Migrants interviewed for the research said they had paid between US$2,000 and US$12,000 for the trip to Brazil, which sometimes took more than three months.   They also reported threats physical abuse and even hunger; 62.5% said they were robbed by smugglers and authorities in countries in transit.   Forty-five percent rated the migration experience as negative, but 90% of those interviewed said they were glad to be in Brazil.

Once in Brazil, 41% said they had trouble finding employment; 52% said it was difficult to find a place to live; 55% reported the language barrier as the main difficulty; and only 18% said they felt discriminated.

“The IOM study calls for urgent action to establish mechanisms to protect those migrants who are being deceived, extorted and physically abused.   It is important to note that we are seeing more elderly, women and children who are even more vulnerable to these types of abuse,” stresses Peraza.

IOM Haiti, in coordination with the Government of Haiti and the Brazilian Embassy in Port au Prince, will implement an information campaign to inform potential migrants of the risks inherent with irregular migration.

The Government of Brazil has put in place mechanisms for migrants to obtain visas in their country of origin and even in transit countries such as Ecuador and Peru, but many migrants continue to resort to irregular migration using human smugglers.

According to the latest figures provided by Brazil’s Federal Police there are close to one million migrants in the country. The majority are of Portuguese origin (277,727), followed by Japan (91,042), Italy (73,126) and Spain (59,985), but there is also increasing migration from neighboring countries such as Bolivia, Paraguay and Peru.

This latest meeting in Brasilia follows one held in Port au Prince last September and is part of the IOM project Bilateral Dialogue and Research on Haitian Migration to Brazil. The research is available at: http://www.brasil.iom.int/

For more information please contact

Magdalena Mactas
IOM Buenos Aires
Tel: +54 1 14 815 51 94
Email:  mmactas@iom.int