UNHCR Warns Of Unprecedented Displacement In Central America And Mexico

UN NEWS—Central America and Mexico are facing “unprecedented pressure” as the number of people seeking international protection rises and access to asylum and territory is being limited through troubling new border restrictions, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said on Thursday. Wrapping up a two-week mission to Mexico, Guatemala and El Salvador, Gillian Triggs, UNHCR’s Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, said she had seen “the tremendous strain the region is under because of the increasing flows of refugees and migrants.” “Extraordinary efforts are being made by governments and civil society to address these challenges,” she said.

Mission

In conversations with internally displaced people, asylum seekers and refugees, Ms. Triggs heard stories of sexual violence, death threats and extortion in communities controlled by criminal gangs.

These stories were often coupled with economic hardship and the damaging effects of climate change, which have combined to force nearly a million people from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras to flee their homes.

In Guatemala, the Assistant High Commissioner helped launch a programme led by UNHCR and the Guatemalan government’s secretariat on sexual violence, exploitation and trafficking.

The new initiative features mobile units that will take information about rights and services to where people need them most, preventing these crimes in remote areas of the country.

In El Salvador, the senior UNHCR official learned about innovative approaches to prevent violence and empower youth in communities at risk. She also welcomed the country’s commitment to reform the way that the displaced have been profiled in the past.

“Creating the conditions that make people feel safe and protected in their homes is an essential step in addressing the root causes that drive people to flee in this region,” she said.

The UNHCR official also visited Mexico, which may top 100,000 new asylum claims this year, breaking a new record. In recent years, the country went from being predominantly a nation of transit to a country of destination, for thousands of asylum seekers.