Brasília – The number of asylum applicants in Brazil in 2013 more than doubled from 2012. Last year, 5,256 people applied. In 2012, slightly over 2,000 people applied, as per figures released this Wednesday (14th) in the report Asylum in Brazil: a Statistical Review (2010-2013), issued by the National Committee for Refugees (Conare) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (Unhcr). Over the last four years, the number of applications increased by 800%.
Year-to-date through May, 1938 applications were made and 684 were accepted. The Unhcr estimates that applications may amount to 12,000 by the end of 2014.
The Conare chairman Paulo Abrão said the increase is mostly due to the worsening of international conflicts and to migratory flows toward countries regarded as “lands of opportunity” – especially on the South-South axis, which currently accounts for 40% of global migratory flows.
“Brazil boasts outstanding humanitarian practices, a tradition of observance of human right, and the Unhcr has acknowledged this widely,” said the UN agency’s representative in Brazil, Andrés Ramirez.
According to him, asylum applications are on an upward trend. “The trend has been clear since 2010, it did not begin last year. It is an exponential increase.”
There are 5,208 refugees in Brazil today. They are from 80 different nationalities, 90% are aged 18 to 30 and 66% are men.
Most refugees in the country are from Syria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Colombia and Pakistan. The Brazilian states that received the most applications are São Paulo (23%), Paraná (20.7%) and the Federal District (14%).
Most of the asylum applicants last year were from Bangladesh, Senegal, Lebanon, Syria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to the Unhcr. The rate of applications accepted was 45%, the highest of the last few years. All applications from Syrians were accepted, according to the Unhcr.
According to the report, there is a tendency for change in the next few years – towards increased diversity of nationalities, due to Brazil’s growing openness and to global humanitarian crises.
Brazilian law provides that asylum may be granted to people experiencing persecution due to political reasons, race, religion, or for being a part certain social groups (like countries with homophobic policies, for instance) or else due to serious, widespread human rights violations.
According to the report, the number of asylum requests approved in Brazil increased from 2010 to 2013 as a consequence of specific laws, and of Brazil’s becoming established as the leading donor of funds to the Unhcr among emerging countries: over R$ 11 million (US$ 4.9 million) were donation in these four years.
A resolution from the Conare, issued last Tuesday (13th) on the Federal Official Gazette, sets forth new rules for reducing asylum-related paperwork. The new measures enter into effect this Wednesday. The new rules are expected to enable swifter, more efficient proceedings.
Thus far, asylum applicants were required to undergo four stages, including interviews and filling in Federal Police forms, plus interviews with social and human rights organizations such as Cáritas. This process has been made simpler, a single form has been created, and the proof of asylum application is now issued upon the first contact with the applicant, following which the foreigner attains legal status in the country.
Formerly, the application form had to be renewed after 180 days; from now on, it will remain valid for a year.
*With information from the ANBA Newsroom. Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
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