Time to implement Canada’s resettlement policies for Central Americans fleeing violence

I recently returned from a humanitarian mission in Venezuela. I witnessed an entire people’s survival being instrumentalized for political aims. Food and medicine have become luxuries and people dream of safe refuge. One in 10 Venezuelans has been forced to flee since 2015. Out of necessity. Not out of choice. The situation in Venezuela is all too familiar for the people of Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala (Northern Central America). The pattern of sexual and physical violence, persecution, and forced repatriation in Northern Central America is similar to the conditions found in the world’s deadliest armed conflicts. I witnessed that in Mexico with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). I met Gloria. She had been forced to leave El Salvador. Gangs threatened to kill both her son when he refused to join them and her daughter when she refused to be a gang leader’s girlfriend. Fearing for their lives, Gloria fled with her children. Gloria’s story is all too common. Nearly 500,000 Central Americans flee to Mexico every year. Nearly two in five asylum seekers report direct attacks or gang-forced recruitment as the main reason for fleeing their country. When she arrived in Mexico, Gloria expected to find sanctuary. Mexico has laws to protect refugees. However, there is a gap between the law and its implementation. Instead of being welcomed, Gloria was kidnapped by a gang. She was raped multiple times. So was her 16-year-old daughter. Her son was forced to watch. According to MSF, close to one in three women arriving in Mexico from Northern Central America reported sexual abuse during their journey. In Mexico, local authorities often turn a blind eye. Violent crimes against migrants are rampant. Ninety-nine per cent of them go uninvestigated and unpunished. It is hardly surprising that Gloria did not feel safe. And she did not believe she would get permission to remain. In 2015, nine out of 10 Northern Central Americans detained in Mexico were deported back to their home countries. The reality is that Mexico is not able or ready to host these people, from a legal, human rights, or economic perspective. Northern Central Americans face equal or even greater violence in Mexico, and are denied protection and health care. Like many before her, Gloria continued her perilous journey to the United States. Aside from the dangers of the journey, at the border she would face an increasingly restrictive U.S. immigration policy. She would face hostility fanned by the growing anti-immigration, securitization, and xenophobic populist discourse. In Northern Central America, the humanitarian crisis is, at its heart, a crisis of compassion and humanity that is causing immense suffering and indignity. Perverse policies and discourses deny people access to basic protection and safety. All of this runs contrary to international norms and our Canadian values. Canada played a lead role internationally in the Global Compact on Refugees but, in the whole of 2017, Canada resettled only 28 Central American refugees. Today, nearly 70 million people on the move worldwide are fleeing situations such as the extreme violence of war or gangs, structural poverty, corruption, and the impact of climate change. Yet, despite international legal norms, many people are rejected or blocked from entering host countries or forcibly returned to the violence and misery they escaped. Europe has its hands full with people on the move crossing the Mediterranean. Canada has an opportunity to do its part by demonstrating leadership on this continent by helping people in its own backyard, people like Gloria. Canada can: fully recognize the humanitarian and international protection needs of Northern Central American refugees and asylum seekers; advocate for safe passage, protection, and access to health care for Northern Central Americans forced to flee, regardless of their legal status; implement Canada’s resettlement policy for Northern Central American refugees and enforce gang-related violence as a reason for acceptance. Canada has helped 51,000 Syrians resettle in the country since 2015. Canada can also help those forced to flee on our continent. We are all aware that Canada is a country built by the courage and determination of immigrants. Central Americans who are forced to flee their homes are courageous and determined. And in eight years or less, statistics show they become net contributors to society. They are actually an investment, not a burden to society. But at its base, this is not an economics debate. This is a question of humanity. There are now thousands of women and their children fleeing Central America for their lives. We have a responsibility to make sure they do not suffer Gloria’s fate. Rachel Kiddell-Monroe is a lawyer and an activist. She is professor of practice at McGill University and currently serves on the international board of directors of Médecins Sans Frontières. The Hill Times

Time to implement Canada’s resettlement policies for Central Americans fleeing violence

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Time to implement Canada’s resettlement policies for Central Americans fleeing violence

Canada has an opportunity to do its part by demonstrating leadership on this continent in helping people in its own backyard.

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