Project profile — Promoting the Rights of Venezuelan Refugees and Migrants in Latin America and the Caribbean

• Colombia (44.00%)
• Peru (49.00%)

• South America, regional (7.00%)

• Population policy and administrative management:
Population policy and administrative management (13010) (30.00%)
Reproductive health care (13020) (10.00%)
• Government And Civil Society, General: Facilitation of orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility (15190) (60.00%)

• Gender equality (significant objective)
• Environmental sustainability (cross-cutting) (not targeted)
• Participatory development and good governance (significant objective)
• Trade development (not targeted)
• Biodiversity (not targeted)
• Climate change mitigation (not targeted)
• Climate Change Adaptation (not targeted)
• Urban issues (not targeted)
• Desertification (not targeted)
• Children's issues (significant objective)
• Youth Issues (significant objective)
• Disaster Risk Reduction(DRR) (not targeted)
• Indigenous Issues (not targeted)
• Disability (not targeted)
• Nutrition (not targeted)
• ICT as a tool for development (not targeted)

This project aims to enhance the protection of Venezuelan refugees and migrants and host community members, particularly women and girls, in Colombia, Peru and the wider Latin America and Caribbean region. In Colombia, the project aims to strengthen the Government’s, civil society, migrant and host community’s capacities to prevent and respond to the sexual exploitation of children and adolescents, particularly girls. This is done by increasing access to sexual exploitation response routes and protocols, and sexual and reproductive health services. Tools and training for comprehensive sexuality education. Also, it includes the prevention of gender-based violence, developed and delivered to educational institutions and health clinics serving refugee and migrant populations. In Peru, the project seeks to improve access to documentation and regularization services for Venezuelan refugees and migrants, ultimately contributing to their integration and protection. Project activities in Peru include: (1) establishing assistance and orientation points for the provision of regularization information and services; (2) implementing cash-based interventions to facilitate access to regularization procedures; (3) conducting outreach campaigns for information and orientation on regularization services; and (4) providing support to the Peruvian Superintendence of Migration in the roll-out of the enhanced regularization process. Across the region, the project aims to strengthen capacities to respond to human trafficking in countries hosting Venezuelan refugees and migrants. It does so by supporting civil society organizations that assist victims of trafficking, developing and validating a regional protocol to facilitate assistance across countries. It also supports training project partners on safeguarding against gender-based violence and sexual exploitation and abuse. The International Organization for Migration implements the project in collaboration with local partners.

The expected outcomes of this project include: (1) strengthened prevention and response to the sexual exploitation and abuse of children and adolescents, particularly girls, in Colombia; (2) improved access by Venezuelan refugees and migrants in Peru, particularly women and girls, to integration and protection services through regularization; and (3) improved access to protection and support by Victims of Human Trafficking, particularly women and girls, in countries hosting Venezuelan refugees and migrants.

Results achieved as of July 2024 include: (1) completed a rapid assessment on the sexual exploitation of refugee and migrant children and adolescents in virtual environments and in contexts of human trafficking in Colombia; (2) designed and implemented a communication strategy (known as MODO SEGURO) to prevent sexual exploitation of refugee and migrant children. Disseminated the strategy through Colombian mass media, including television, radio and press, reaching 2.3 million people; (3) developed and disseminated an educational virtual toolkit, including information on protection routes and protocols preventing the sexual exploitation of refugee and migrant children in Colombia; (4) trained 162 Colombian national and local authorities on preventing sexual exploitation of refugee and migrant children; (5) engaged 3,000 girls, boys, and adolescents through 60 community-based activities to raise awareness and prevent sexual exploitation and trafficking in persons; (6) established an Orientation and Assistance Point (PAO) in Lima (Peru), then informed and oriented 2,628 refugees and migrants (63% women) on their rights; (7) supported 127,498 refugees and migrants, mainly from Venezuela (50% women), in initiating their regularization process through biometric enrollment with the National Superintendency of Migration; (8) trained 132 Peruvian officials (62% women), resulting in enhanced capacities to provide gender-sensitive and rights-based assistance to migrants; (9) published "Trajectories of Venezuelan women in Peru: Migratory regularization and integration" highlighting women’s experiences in their integration process and in accessing rights; and (10) reached 625,000 beneficiaries and implemented a massive communication campaign known as “Pa’lante con papeles”, which promoted regularization and access to rights and services for refugees and migrants in Peru.

• Proactive disclosure