In 19 years, Venezuela has only had two presidents, the last one is the first one's pupil; both with the same ideology , to start the “ Bolivarian revolution ” that uses concepts that belong to the past, such as “fight against imperialism ” and to establish a “ socialist society ”. People under 20 years old, about a quarter of the population, haven't had the chance to learn about another form of government or what is freedom of speech.
In the last, the tumultuous political situation was worsened by the escalation of the economic crisis. The country has seen the highest price increases, never seen before in Latin America . The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has predicted that inflation will reach 1,000,000% this year.
The tales about the lack of equipment in hospitals and of empty supermarkets are now common. It was inevitable that the economic issue deeply affected the life of Venezuelans , creating a social crisis .
The number of desperate Venezuelans abandoning their country in search of a better future has multiplied, causing a regional crisis. Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru have declared an emergency alert in the face of the massive migration from Venezuelans , which has started to create health issues. In some border towns, there have been fights because some inhabitants are against the arrival of migrants. International organisms have calculated that around 2 million Venezuelans have left their country in the last three years.
In this chaos, where millions of people don't have a job, no money, and hungry, the criminal groups have become the winners. Networks of drug dealers , mostly Colombian , are taking advantage of the situation and recruit migrants to smuggle drugs into countries like the US, Guatemala, Spain or France. Other groups deceive Venezuelan women by offering well-paid jobs outside of their country, but it's actually sexual exploitation and Mexico has been one of their destinies.
The human tragedy is worsening every day. With the number of Venezuelans migrating, there's the risk that other countries can no longer have the capacity to welcome them, which could cause a destabilization in the region. Although the crisis worsened three years ago, it'll be next week when countries from the region will meet to discuss the situation. Hopefully, it won't be too late.
gm