AMERICA/BRAZIL - From Haiti to Brazil in the hands of human traffickers, with the hope of a better future

Wednesday, 10 June 2015

San Paolo (Agenzia Fides) - Located in a central district of San Paolo (Brazil), the "Mision de Paz" managed by the Italian Scalabrini missionary Fr. Paolo Parisi, is one of the landmarks for the Haitian community of nearly all of Brazil. Welcoming place for newcomers, it promotes their integration and offers the possibility of a job. Indeed, many factory entrepreneurs or other industries (such as the processing of food) of the state of Sao Paolo, where labor is scarce and low-skilled, look for migrant workers at the Mission.
The devastating earthquake that struck Haiti in 2010 caused an increase in emigration: according to some studies, since then about 50,000 Haitians arrived in Brazil, many of them through winding paths controlled by human traffickers, who force them to pay enormous sums and then leave without documents or money.
The note sent to Fides reports the words of Father Parisi: "Three years ago we started this effort of assistance to Haitian immigrants offering Portuguese courses, health care, help in obtaining documents ... We do what the government should do". "We asked local authorities for help because the number is increasing, but we have not received answers", said the priest, highlighting that the center can accommodate 110 people.
These days the Commission for Foreign Relations and National Defense of Brazil is analyzing the proposal of a new law on migration. Brazil is in fact a very closed country to immigrants. With almost 200 million inhabitants, foreigners account for only 0.3% of the population, while the world average is 3%. The latest statistics (December 2014) indicate that San Paolo is the city with the largest number of immigrants from all over Brazil: from 360 to 600 thousand, according to unofficial data.(CE) (Agenzia Fides 10/06/2015)


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