It is not new that the migratory flow of foreigners in Brazil has recently increased and, with this, the growth in the number of refugees and demands for Brazilian public policies, including Social Assistance.
Although the debates on the theme have intensified and that many actions have been carried out to receive migrants in the country, we know that the refuge is still stigmatized and surrounded by prejudices.
Therefore, there are many challenges, both for refugees and for Social Assistance, which aims to guarantee social rights and protection for these people.
But, before we go deeper into the role of politics in the migratory issue, it is important to make some concepts clear . Come on?
- Immigrant: one who enters a foreign country to live or work. The reason or type of your immigration can be:
- economic;
- humanitarian;
- mixed;
- undocumented (irregular situation).
- Migrants: those who migrate from one country to another or from one region to another. It refers to the movement of change;
- Refugee: in Brazil, it is the immigrant who has been recognized by the Brazilian government, by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) or by another international organization based on the norms of the 1951 Convention on refugee status, of the 1967 Protocol on refugee status or internal regulations (such as Law 9474/97 );
- Asylum seeker: is the one who awaits the decision on your asylum request in the country.
Number of refugees in Brazil
According to the UN Annual Global Trends Report , in 2017, the migratory flow moved around 68.5 million people around the world.
In 2018 , Brazil already had 11,231 people recognized as refugees in the national territory, the majority of whom were Syrians (36%), Congolese (15%) and Angolans (9%).
The request for refuge also grew in the country in 2018, largely due to the migratory flow of Venezuelans. It was a total of 80 thousand requests, being:
- 61,681 Venezuelans;
- 7,000 Haitians;
- 2,749 Cubans;
- 1,450 Chinese;
- 947 Bangladeshi.
In view of the number of migrations in Brazil and considering the high index of vulnerability situations of immigrants, the performance of the Social Assistance policy is fundamental, do you agree? That’s what we’ll talk about next.
What is the role of Social Assistance in the refugee issue?
The first thing that the technicians of the Unified Social Assistance System (SUAS) need to keep in mind is that:
“Any and all migrants, regardless of their situation – recognized as a refugee or not – are subject to law, therefore, they have protection and rights ensured by Brazilian and international jurisdiction.”
It is worth noting that both individuals who have applied for asylum and are awaiting approval, as well as those who have been denied the application – but cannot return to their country for humanitarian reasons – have the right to remain in the country temporarily.
Even if the migrant enters the country in an irregular way, he can apply for refuge and obtain extended social protection for his family .
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Recalling that the integration and reception of this population should not be the sole responsibility of Social Assistance, as it involves other issues such as education, health and safety.
The social protection of migrants must follow the classification of SUAS , according to the need presented. It can be basic and special (medium and high complexity). See more details below.
Basic Social Protection (PSB)
At PSB, offered through the Social Assistance Reference Center ( CRAS ), there are a series of services, programs, projects and benefits aimed at preventing situations of vulnerability and social risk and strengthening the family and community bonds of users.
Among the services offered, the Coexistence and Strengthening Service ( SCFV ) is a good way to promote cultural exchanges and develop, in migrants, a sense of belonging in the community.
Regarding benefits, immigrants also have the right to Bolsa Família, as long as their conditions match the Brazilians who are already part of the program. Recalling that, to have access to the right, they need, in the same way, to be registered in the Single Registry.
The Continuous Payment Benefit (BPC) is exclusive to Brazilians, so no immigrants – not even refugees – can access the benefit.
Special Social Protection (PSE)
At PSE, offered through the Specialized Reference Center for Social Assistance ( CREAS ), there are a series of specialized services, programs, projects and benefits aimed at individuals in situations of violation of rights, as in the case of homeless people , very common among immigrants.
An example is the Social Approach Service, which, among other things, works to insert users into the network of social assistance services and other public policies in order to protect and guarantee their rights.
Greater challenges
As much as the assistance and monitoring of immigrants seems similar to what is provided to Brazilian users, there are some challenges faced by technicians when working with this population, they are:
- Assimilate and organize the new demands that arose with the increase in the number of immigrants, without forgetting to integrate into the social work that is carried out with Brazilian families in the territories;
- Meet the specifics of the origin and culture of immigrants, taking care not to commit segregation or discrimination;
- Dealing with the language barrier and, at the same time, being able to maintain the efficiency of services, programs and projects;
- Disseminate, in an efficient manner, the flows and procedures of Social Assistance so that they reach immigrants and they do not run the risk of having their rights violated, as in the common cases of violence against this population.
