REFUGEES

Refuge is a form of humanitarian protection offered to people who have been forced to leave their country because their life, liberty, or dignity are at risk, whether due to persecution, violence, wars, internal conflicts, or serious human rights violations. These people cannot safely return to their country and therefore seek protection in another State.

Worldwide, this protection is based on international agreements, especially the UN Convention on Refugees, which guarantees basic rights and establishes that no one can be returned to a place where their life is in danger.

 

In Latin America, these rights have been expanded to include people fleeing widespread violence and humanitarian crises. Brazil is internationally recognized for having advanced legislation on the subject. The Refugee Law (Law No. 9,474/1997) defines who can be recognized as a refugee and creates CONARE, the body responsible for analyzing applications. In addition, the Migration Law ensures that refugees have access to fundamental rights, such as documentation, work, health, and education.

Currently, Brazil is one of the countries that receives the most asylum requests in Latin America. In 2024, more than 68,000 people requested protection in the country, mainly from Venezuela, as well as other countries affected by political, economic, and humanitarian crises. By the end of that same year, Brazil had already recognized more than 156,000 people as refugees, who now live legally in Brazilian territory.

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These numbers show that refuge is not a distant issue: it involves families, children, women, and men who seek to rebuild their lives with safety and dignity. Protecting refugees is, above all, a commitment to human rights, solidarity, and the construction of a more just and inclusive society — values ​​that guide the work of Hands On Human Rights.