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STORY: COLOMBIA / VENEZUELAN REFUGEES PROTECTION
TRT: 2:32
SOURCE: UNHCR
RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT UNHCR ON SCREEN
LANGUAGE: SPANISH /NATS
DATELINE: 8 FEBRUARY 2021, BOGOTA, COLOMBIA
1.Close up, Lucas making faces
2.Close up, Sikiú recording a video of Lucas
3.Med shot, Sikiú and Lucas watching video on phone
4.SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Sikiú, Venezuelan asylum-seeker:
“My four-year-old son presents signs of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and impulsiveness and aggressiveness.”
5.Various shots, Lucas in class
6.SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Sikiú, Venezuelan asylum-seeker:
“Right now, if my son gets sick, they treat him with basic care, but it doesn’t include the pediatrics and neurology that he needs to have a proper evaluation of his condition.”
7.Close up, Lucas
8.SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Sikiú, Venezuelan asylum-seeker:
“This will get him access to those health services.”
9.Various aerial shots, houses of temporary refugee settlement
10.Wide shot, children playing between houses
11.Med shot, children playing
12.Wide shot, refugee women talk
13.Med shot, refugee women talk
14.Various shots, Sikiú helping Lucas do homework
15.SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Sikiú, Venezuelan asylum-seeker:
“This is a long-term plan, for 11 years from now, but right now that's what I want the most, for him to have a regular status in the country and be able to settle down.”
16.Med shot, Lucas drawing
17.Close up, Lucas drawing sun
Colombia is offering a temporary protection status to hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan refugees and migrants, paving the way for them to access support services, health care, education, and work. For Sikíu, it means her son Lucas can finally get the help he needs.
Lucas looks like a normal 4-year-old but needs extra help. Hyperactive, with behavioral issues, he could thrive in a doctor’s care.
“My four-year-old son presents signs of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and impulsiveness and aggressiveness,” said his mother Sikiú. “Right now, if my son gets sick, they treat him with basic care, but it doesn’t include the pediatrics and neurology that he needs to have a proper evaluation of his condition.”
Lucas and his mother fled their home in Venezuela to stay safe. Now Colombia, their host country, is helping them take one step further.
SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Sikiú, Venezuelan asylum-seeker:
“This will get him access to those health services.”
Colombia announced in February 2021 that the country would grant a ten-year Temporary Protection Status (TPS) to Venezuelan refugees and migrants in the country, including nearly one million people currently lacking regular status.
With this historic decision, Colombia proved their commitment to regularize Venezuelans in the country, acknowledging that refugees and migrants have the potential of contributing to their host community if given the chance. Colombia is hosting the largest population of refugees and migrants from Venezuela worldwide.
It’s been difficult for Lucas to enroll in school in Colombia since he doesn’t have a passport or the special residency permit that requires a passport. But with the TPS, Lucas will get access to healthcare and schools and one day, he could end up with a university education, says his mother.
SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Sikiú, Venezuelan asylum-seeker:
“This is a long-term plan, for 11 years from now, but right now that's what I want the most, for him to have a regular status in the country and be able to settle down.”
Thanks to the TPS, more than 1.74 million Venezuelans currently in Colombia, as well as new arrivals over the next two years, will have access to identification documents, work permits, and state services, including the COVID-19 vaccination. With better access to education, skills training and employment, Venezuelans will integrate in their communities and will contribute to its development and post Covid recovery.
The pre-registration process to obtain the TPS started on 5 May.
