Children on the move: social protection and public response—Venezuelan migration in Latin America and the Caribbean

Abstract

As of February 2021 a total of 5.4 million Venezuelans were displaced from their country. Almost 80 per cent of them moved to other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. This population, particularly displaced Venezuelan children, face several risks and vulnerabilities in all stages of the migratory process. Social protection policies have enormous potential to mitigate these risks, but non-nationals usually face legal and administrative challenges to access social protection systems. Against this background, this research report developed by the International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth (IPC-IG), in partnership with the United Nation Children’s Fund Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNICEF LACRO), analyses the access of displaced Venezuelans to the national social protection systems of the seven main host countries - namely Colombia, Peru, Chile, Ecuador, Brazil in South America; Panama in Central America; and Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean.