Since 2018, more than 30,000 girls and women have been internalized by Operation "Acolhida" with IOM support
Restart. Among millions of words to describe the arrival at a new destination, this is the one chosen by most of those who joined the Interiorization Strategy. Motivated by new job opportunities, family or friend reunions, and new paths, boarding the plane from Boa Vista or Manaus represents a new stage of life for girls and women who seek a chance in Brazil after crossing the border with Venezuela.
Implemented in 2018 by Operation "Acolhida", a humanitarian response coordinated by the Federal Government to the Venezuelan humanitarian crisis, the Interiorization strategy voluntarily takes vulnerable Venezuelan refugees and migrants from Roraima and Amazonas to other parts of the country as a measure to relieve the public structures of the Northern Region and allow the expansion of possibilities for socioeconomic integration of those who wish to remain in Brazilian territory.
Since the beginning, until this March 8th 2022, International Women's Day, more than 30 thousand beneficiaries have flown to 730 Brazilian municipalities, representing 43% of all those interiorized.
Among the many stories that make up this reality, are those who arrive at their destination with their work card registered through the Signed Employment Vacancy (VES) modality, with more than 70 Venezuelan women in February 2022 alone. Sol Maria was one of them, leaving Roraima to cross the entire length of the country until she arrived in Rio Grande do Sul, where she was hired in a meat packing plant company.
"I arrived in a state that I still don't know, but I already feel that it is a dream coming true, because I feel strong to work and help my family in Venezuela", she celebrated.
There are also those who enter the market after the interiorization, like Rosimary. The arrival in Roraima was scheduled in the 2020 calendar, searching for opportunities for her and her daughter.
"I searched for all the support that we Venezuelans receive to move on and move forward with our lives here, in Brazil. Today I live in Santa Teresina, in São Paulo, together with my family. In the beginning, the change was difficult, but now I work. For my future, I want to move on, progress, and take care of my daughter," she reported.
All these processes are the result of the work of the Federal Subcommittee for the Reception and Interiorization of Immigrants in Situations of Vulnerability, coordinated by the Ministry of Citizenship, with the support of IOM, the UN Migration Agency, which works in the preparation of processes, document review, interviews with participants and medical evaluations, besides the delivery of support materials, purchase of airline tickets and accompaniment to the final destinations.
According to IOM's Interiorization Coordinator, Eugênio Guimarães, the numbers achieved reflect the work done by the team. "The great satisfaction and joy is to know that the dreams of 30 thousand girls and women have been fulfilled in the last four years. Our support has been and is fundamental, because in addition to the 8 thousand girls and women who were internalized with tickets purchased by the IOM, our activities have benefited the relocation of more than 70 thousand people over these four years of Operation Acolhida," he said.
For the coordinator of the Federal Subcommittee for Reception and Interiorization of the Ministry of Citizenship, Niusarete Lima, the strategy enables new futures. "Being on the front lines of the interiorization strategy and being part of making these women's dreams come true is a joy and a pride, as a public servant of the federal government. The look of hope that we see on each of these women's faces, as they embark for other destinations, outside of Roraima and Amazonas, is exciting. Contributing to the development of today's girls, so that tomorrow they become confident and independent women, gives us a sense of accomplishment," she added.
REPORT - In allusion to the month of the woman, the Federal Subcommittee for the Reception and Interiorization of Immigrants in Situations of Vulnerability and the IOM published a special report with data from girls and women who have been interiorized, released on Tuesday (8), with reference to the month of February this year.
Among the 30 thousand internalized beneficiaries, more than 18,500 were women (65%) over the age of 18, and girls under the age of 18 reached a total of 11,600. Distributed throughout the country, the South Region was the one that received the most refugee and migrant women, covering 51% of the internalizations.
The city of Curitiba was the highlight in the reception of women, followed by São Paulo and Manaus. The Social Reunion modality contemplated half of the internalized women, with Shelter in second place and Family Reunification in third.
In February, 77 women were internalized in the Signaled Job Vacancy modality, of which 23 (30%) are holders of the signaled jobs.
IOM's activities within the Interiorization Strategy are financially supported by the Office of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM) of the United States Department of State.
