- Of those Colombians who have fled to Ecuador, only 18,000 have been granted official refugee status, leaving more than 230,000 others still in need of legal recognition and protection.
- The Ecuadorian government is slowly working through a backlog of over 20,000 asylum petitions.
- Without official refugee status, asylum applicants have no right to work and no legal way of supporting their families.
- The World Food Program suspended food rations for refugees and refugee applicants this year, making the situation all the more precarious.
- 11,000 Ecuadorian troops are now stationed along the 450-mile Colombo-Ecuadorian border.
Invisible and Forgotten: Colombian Refugees Seek Recognition and Renewed Dignity in Ecuador
Colombian refugees face economic and social marginalization, and are many times relegated to the most marginalized communities in the least habitable sectors.
Ecuador is home to the largest refugee population in Latin America, nearly all of them Colombian nationals seeking safety from persecution. Colombian refugees are the frequently forgotten victims of a 40-year-long conflict between paramilitaries, guerillas, and the Colombian military and security forces.
"We were a family of eight and we had many burdens. When the FARC demanded that we pay them, my husband refused to pay. They came back that night and burned our vegetable stand, broke into our house and burned my children in their beds. I still hear their screams. We fled to my sister’s farm in the South; but that is in a territory controlled by the army. They called us guerilla collaborators. When the army threatened my husband and my sister, we fled with our remaining children over the border." – Matilda
The Desire for Independence
Ecuadorian society has struggled to integrate the nearly 250,000 Colombian refugees. Many are without legal recognition, access to employment, nor education. Eight hundred Colombians request asylum in Ecuador every month. Ecuadorian authorities have difficulty processing this volume of applications, resulting in a significant backlog of cases. In some instances, these inefficiencies have even led to the wrongful denial of refugee status.
"The government told me that they have decided to take no action with my case; instead they have left it pending. I feel abandoned." – Pablo
A Note from the National Director
Dear Friends of JRS/USA:
There are no refugee camps in Ecuador where refugees can find support and safety. The majority of Colombian refugees live scattered throughout the country, without access to education, health care or jobs. Ecuador’s asylum system lacks the capacity to support the growing numbers crossing the Colombo-Ecuadorian border.
Immediately following the well-publicized Colombian military offensive into Ecuadorian territory in March 2008, JRS-Ecuador invited our staff to interview refugees to raise awareness about the humanitarian crisis that had been overshadowed by the diplomatic standoff. JRS/USA staff consulted with NGO partners, advocates, local UNHCR officials, and Ecuadorian government officials in Quito and places along the border, including Lago Agrio and San Lorenzo.
The interviews revealed profound issues of xenophobia and a failure to integrate refugees into Ecuadorian society. Large numbers of Colombian refugees in Ecuador are not registered and live without security in the border regions, creating problems exacerbated by funding shortages. Trafficking and sexual exploitation of refugee women was a recurrent theme mentioned by many of those interviewed.
In this issue of The Refugee Voice we explore the stories of refugees living in desperate situations and offer recommendations to improve their lives and the prospects of the Colombians living in Ecuador.
Fr. Ken Gavin, S.J.