Migrants from Venezuela May Cause Problem in Brazil
委內(nèi)瑞拉移民涌入可能會給巴西造成麻煩
An increasing number of Venezuelans have moved out of the country recently. They are seeking to escape economic hardship and high crime rates in their homeland.
最近越來越多的委內(nèi)瑞拉人搬離了這個國家。他們正在試圖逃離本國的經(jīng)濟困難和高犯罪率。
Many of those Venezuelans are migrating to Brazil. One of them is Victor Rivera, a 36-year-old unemployed bakery worker. In August, Rivera left his home in northern Venezuela. He made the two-day trip across the countryside to Boa Vista, a city in the Brazilian state of Roraima.
其中許多委內(nèi)瑞拉人開始移居巴西。36歲的失業(yè)面包店工人維克托·里維拉(Victor Rivera)就是其中之一。今年8月,里維拉離開了他在委內(nèi)瑞拉北部的家鄉(xiāng)。他花了兩天時間穿越鄉(xiāng)間來到了巴西羅賴馬州的博阿維斯塔市。
Few jobs can be found in Boa Vista, but Rivera finds his job prospects there more appealing than in his hometown. He says his six children often go hungry, as food in stores is in increasingly short supply.
博阿維斯塔市也找不到什么工作,但是里維拉發(fā)現(xiàn)他在這里的職業(yè)前景比在家鄉(xiāng)更有吸引力。他說,他的六個孩子經(jīng)常挨餓,因為商店里的食物供應(yīng)越來越短缺。
"I see no future in Venezuela," said Rivera.
里維拉說:“我在委內(nèi)瑞拉看不到未來。”
The once-wealthy nation is now struggling with a recession, widespread unemployment, shortages of supplies and high inflation.
這個曾經(jīng)富裕的國家現(xiàn)在正面臨經(jīng)濟衰退、高失業(yè)率、供應(yīng)短缺和高通貨膨脹率。
And at least 125 people died this year in clashes among government opponents, supporters and police.
并且今年至少有125人在政府反對派和支持者以及警察的沖突中死亡。
As conditions there worsen, nearby countries are struggling with one of the biggest migrations in Latin American history. With limited public services and jobs to offer migrants, Brazilian officials fear a full humanitarian crisis.
隨著該國情況惡化,鄰近國家開始跟這次拉丁美洲史上最大的移民作斗爭。由于提供給移民的公共服務(wù)和就業(yè)機會有限,巴西官員擔(dān)心會出現(xiàn)一場全面的人道主義危機。
George Okoth-Obbo is operations chief for the United Nations High Commission on Refugees. He spoke to the Reuters news agency after a recent visit to Boa Vista. He noted, "Shelters are already crowded to their limit. It is a very tough situation."
喬治·奧克博布(George Okoth-Obbo)是聯(lián)合國難民事務(wù)署的行動主管。他最近在訪問博阿維斯塔市后與路透社進行了對話。他指出,“庇護所已經(jīng)擁擠到了極限,情況非常艱難。”
Venezuelan government officials do not know exactly how many of its 30 million people have migrated overseas in recent years. Some experts have estimated the number to be as high as 2 million.
委內(nèi)瑞拉政府官員不清楚近年來該國3千萬人口有多少人已經(jīng)移居海外。有專家估計這一數(shù)字可能高達200萬。
Brazil "not ready"
巴西“還沒好準備好”
Many of the Venezuelans leaving have few skills or financial resources. By migrating, then, they export some of the social problems that Venezuela has struggled to resolve.
許多離開的委內(nèi)瑞拉人缺乏技術(shù)或資金資源。他們通過移民將一些委內(nèi)瑞拉努力要解決的社會問題輸出到了國外。
Mauricio Santoro is a political scientist at Rio de Janeiro State University. He says, "They're leaving because of economic, health and public safety problems, but putting a lot of pressure on countries that have their own difficulties."
莫里西奧·桑托羅(Mauricio Santoro)是里約熱內(nèi)盧州立大學(xué)的政治學(xué)教授。他說:“他們因為經(jīng)濟、健康和公共安全問題而離開委內(nèi)瑞拉,但是給有著自身困難的國家施加了很大壓力。”
International officials are likening the situation in Venezuela to other mass migrations in Latin America's past, like that of people who fled Haiti after a 2010 earthquake. Thirty years earlier, about 125,000 Cubans attempted to travel by boat to the United States.
國際官員把委內(nèi)瑞拉的情況比作拉丁美洲過去的大規(guī)模移民,像是2010年地震后逃離海地的那些人。30年前,大約有12.5萬古巴人企圖乘船前往美國。
Okoth-Obbo told Reuters that as many as 40,000 Venezuelans have arrived in Brazil. Just over half of them have asked the government for asylum. But that process that can take up to two years.
奧克博布對路透社表示,多達4萬名委內(nèi)瑞拉人已經(jīng)抵達了巴西。其中一半以上的人要求政府提供庇護。但是這一過程可能需要花上兩年時間。
The request for asylum gives them the right to stay in Brazil while their appeal is considered. It also gives the migrants the right to health care, education and other social services.
庇護申請讓他們有權(quán)在申請審理期間留在巴西,同時也賦予了這些移民獲得健康、教育和其它社會服務(wù)的權(quán)利。
Some migrants in Boa Vista are discovering ways to get by. They have found low-cost housing or are staying in the few shelters that officials have provided. Others have no permanent place to stay, and instead live in the streets or turn to crime.
博阿維斯塔的一些移民正在探索艱難度日的途徑。他們找到了低成本的住房,或是留在官方提供的幾處庇護所內(nèi)。還有些人沒有固定的住處,而是流落街頭或是轉(zhuǎn)向犯罪。
Teresa Surita, the mayor of Boa Vista, said, "We have a very serious problem that will only get worse." She added that the city's once quiet streets are increasingly filled with poor Venezuelans.
博阿維斯塔的市長特麗莎·蘇麗塔(Teresa Surita)表示:“我們的情況非常嚴重,并且還將會繼續(xù)惡化。”她補充說,這個城市曾經(jīng)安靜的街道日益塞滿了貧窮的委內(nèi)瑞拉人。
Most migrants to Boa Vista arrive by land. They enter Brazil on foot from the Venezuelan border town of Santa Elena. They then take buses or ask for rides from strangers to travel further south.
大多數(shù)移民通過陸路抵達博阿維斯塔。他們從委內(nèi)瑞拉的邊境小鎮(zhèn)圣埃倫娜進入巴西。然后他們乘坐巴士或搭便車去往更南邊。
Brazilian officials say border guards permit as many as 400 migrants to enter Roraima state daily. Roraima has the lowest population and smallest economy of any state in Brazil.
巴西官員表示,邊防軍每天允許多達400名移民進入羅賴馬州。羅賴馬州是巴西人口最少和經(jīng)濟總量最小的一個州。
Latin America's biggest country has struggled recently to deal with asylum seekers from countries such as Haiti and Syria. Brazil has approved more than 2,700 asylum requests from Syrian refugees. But the refugees have received little support from the government.
這個拉丁美洲最大的國家最近一直都在艱難應(yīng)對來自海地和敘利亞等國的庇護申請者。巴西已經(jīng)批準了超過2700份敘利亞難民的庇護申請。但是這些難民得不到政府太多支持。
One top official in Brazil's foreign ministry said the country will not close its borders. Okoth-Obbo said the UNHCR and Brazil's government are discussing ways to move refugees to larger cities.
巴西外交部一位高級官員表示,該國不會關(guān)閉邊境。奧克博步表示,聯(lián)合國難民署和巴西政府正在討論將難民轉(zhuǎn)移到大城市。
I'm Jonathan Evans.
喬納森·埃文斯報道。
An increasing number of Venezuelans have moved out of the country recently. They are seeking to escape economic hardship and high crime rates in their homeland.
Many of those Venezuelans are migrating to Brazil. One of them is Victor Rivera, a 36-year-old unemployed bakery worker. In August, Rivera left his home in northern Venezuela. He made the two-day trip across the countryside to Boa Vista, a city in the Brazilian state of Roraima.
Few jobs can be found in Boa Vista, but Rivera finds his job prospects there more appealing than in his hometown. He says his six children often go hungry, as food in stores is in increasingly short supply.
“I see no future in Venezuela,” said Rivera.
The once-wealthy nation is now struggling with a recession, widespread unemployment, shortages of supplies and high inflation.
And at least 125 people died this year in clashes among government opponents, supporters and police.
As conditions there worsen, nearby countries are struggling with one of the biggest migrations in Latin American history. With limited public services and jobs to offer migrants, Brazilian officials fear a full humanitarian crisis.
George Okoth-Obbo is operations chief for the United Nations High Commission on Refugees. He spoke to the Reuters news agency after a recent visit to Boa Vista. He noted, “Shelters are already crowded to their limit. It is a very tough situation.”
Venezuelan government officials do not know exactly how many of its 30 million people have migrated overseas in recent years. Some experts have estimated the number to be as high as 2 million.
Brazil “not ready”
Many of the Venezuelans leaving have few skills or financial resources. By migrating, then, they export some of the social problems that Venezuela has struggled to resolve.
Mauricio Santoro is a political scientist at Rio de Janeiro State University. He says, “They’re leaving because of economic, health and public safety problems, but putting a lot of pressure on countries that have their own difficulties.”
International officials are likening the situation in Venezuela to other mass migrations in Latin America’s past, like that of people who fled Haiti after a 2010 earthquake. Thirty years earlier, about 125,000 Cubans attempted to travel by boat to the United States.
Okoth-Obbo told Reuters that as many as 40,000 Venezuelans have arrived in Brazil. Just over half of them have asked the government for asylum. But that process that can take up to two years.
The request for asylum gives them the right to stay in Brazil while their appeal is considered. It also gives the migrants the right to health care, education and other social services.
Some migrants in Boa Vista are discovering ways to get by. They have found low-cost housing or are staying in the few shelters that officials have provided. Others have no permanent place to stay, and instead live in the streets or turn to crime.
Teresa Surita, the mayor of Boa Vista, said, “We have a very serious problem that will only get worse.” She added that the city’s once quiet streets are increasingly filled with poor Venezuelans.
Most migrants to Boa Vista arrive by land. They enter Brazil on foot from the Venezuelan border town of Santa Elena. They then take buses or ask for rides from strangers to travel further south.
Brazilian officials say border guards permit as many as 400 migrants to enter Roraima state daily. Roraima has the lowest population and smallest economy of any state in Brazil.
Latin America’s biggest country has struggled recently to deal with asylum seekers from countries such as Haiti and Syria. Brazil has approved more than 2,700 asylum requests from Syrian refugees. But the refugees have received little support from the government.
One top official in Brazil’s foreign ministry said the country will not close its borders. Okoth-Obbo said the UNHCR and Brazil’s government are discussing ways to move refugees to larger cities.
I’m Jonathan Evans.
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Words in this Story
migrate – v. to move from one country or place to live or work in another
prospect – n. an opportunity for something to happen
resources – n. a supply of something such as money that someone has and can use when it is needed