Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 7 august 2019

Colombia gives citizenship to children of Venezuelan parents

By CHRISTINE ARMARIO regardless of their parents’
Associated Press migration status.
BOGOTÁ, Colombia (AP) Under several international
— Venezuelan migrant accords, Colombia is re-
Wuendy Villamizar fled quired to provide citizen-
Venezuela by foot while ship to those at risk of state-
seven months pregnant lessness. Civil rights and
to ensure she gave birth in migrant advocacy groups
Colombia. have been pressuring Co-
Her infant son was born lombia’s government to
healthy at a border hospi- comply with such treaties
tal earlier this year but has for several months.
gone without one of the According to the U.N., over
most basic human rights: 4 million Venezuelans have
Citizenship. now fled their nation in an
That changed Monday unprecedented exodus
when President Iván Duque putting stress on nations
announced that his gov- around Latin America. In re-
ernment will grant citizen- sponse to the crisis, Duque
ship to babies like Santia- said Colombia has admin-
go Josue who were born istered 1.2 million vaccines
to Venezuelan parents in and enrolled more than
Colombia and are at risk 182,000 children in school.
of statelessness. The mea- In this May 2, 2019 file photo, Arelys Pulido holds her two-month-old daughter Zuleidys after But migrants like Arelys Pu-
sure is expected to benefit she had her feet prints taken for her birth certificate at the Erazmo Meoz hospital in Cucuta, on lido say they’ve frequently
more than 24,000 Venezu- Colombia’s border with Venezuela. encountered obstacles
elan kids. Associated Press when it comes to getting
Villamizar is still over- defenseless children who a right to Venezuelan citi- bo,” said Marianne Men- their children education
whelmed trying to provide want to have the right to a zenship, but it has become jivar, Colombia country and health care.
for her family while living in nationality and proudly tell nearly impossible for many director for the nonprofit When her daughter re-
Colombia without any le- them that they are Colom- to obtain. Venezuela sev- International Rescue Com- cently came down with
gal status herself, but know- bian,” Duque said during a ered diplomatic ties with mittee. a cough, she tried to get
ing that her youngest will be ceremonial signing at the Colombia and no longer Under the new framework, her treated at a hospital
entitled to the same rights presidential palace while operates any consulates in- children born to Venezu- in central Colombia where
as any other citizen came surrounded by members of side the country. While par- elan parents in Colombia her family now resides. Her
as a relief to the 26-year- his Cabinet. ents could return to Ven- on or after Aug. 19, 2015 baby was born in Colom-
old mother of three. Colombia’s laws still prohib- ezuela to seek their child’s will have the right to citizen- bia but like others hasn’t
“My son is going to have it children born to foreign citizenship, many are reluc- ship. The measure is slated yet gotten citizenship sta-
his citizenship, at least,” she parents in the country ille- tant to travel back. to take effect for two years tus. “No, no, no,” Pulido
said. Duque hailed the res- gally from accessing birth- Babies born in Colombia or until “the circumstances said she was told. “You all
olution as a sign of solidarity right citizenship. Statistics have previously been given impeding the registration are Venezuelan.”
with the hundreds of thou- from Colombia’s migration birth certificates, but they of boys and girls as Venezu- She was eventually able to
sands of Venezuelans who agency show some 47% of clearly state, “Not valid for elans cease.” get her daughter treated
continue to flee a political Venezuelans living in the citizenship.” The issue has not surfaced but was told she’d have
and economic crisis. More country lack legal status. If the children were to re- in several other South to cover the entire cost of
than 1.4 million Venezue- That does not include an main stateless, they would American nations receiv- the doctor’s appointment
lans are now residing in the estimated 500,000 Venezu- be unable to travel interna- ing large numbers of Ven- and the medicine. Pulido
neighboring Andean na- elans of Colombian origin tionally, buy a home, have ezuelans, including Peru, and her husband are both
tion, more than any other who have now returned. a legal job or marry later as because existing laws al- in the country illegally and
country. Children born to Venezu- adults. low babies born in the ter- struggling to afford basics
“Today we support these elan parents abroad have “They were caught in a lim- ritory to obtain citizenship like housing. q

Latest deforestation data in Brazil

show significant surge

Associated Press
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — New data from the Brazilian space research institute indicates a
surge in deforestation in the Amazon in the last quarter.
Figures published Tuesday by the National Institute for Space Research show that more
forest was lost between May and July this year than during the same period in 2018,
2017 and 2016.
In July alone, the rainforest lost 2,254 square kilometers (870 square miles) of vegetation,
between three and five times the surfaces lost the same month in the past four years.
This is the biggest surge in deforestation rates since the institute adopted its current
methodology in 2014.
Brazil’s Environment Minister Ricardo Salles gives a presentation President Jair Bolsonaro took office Jan. 1 and critics fear the climate skeptic’s pro-
during a press conference on deforestation in the Amazon at
Planalto presidential palace, where President Jair Bolsonaro is in agrobusiness policies will accelerate deforestation.
attendance, in Brasilia, Brazil, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2019. Friday, the institute’s president left his position after Bolsonaro criticized deforestation
Associated Press data.q