São Paulo – A survey issued last Friday (20th) by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) shows that in 2011, the amount of African refugees who arrived at the Yemeni shore by sea increased twofold.
According to the UNHCR, 103,000 people took the trip in 2011. Some travelled more than twice the same distance, via the Gulf of Aden or the Red Sea. In 2010, 53,000 refugees arrived at Yemen by sea. According to the survey, 76,000 people out of these 103,000 are from Ethiopia, 10% more than in 2010.
According to the UNHCR, 130 people died from drowning during the crossing in 2011. In addition to this risk, they are submitted to violence, sexual abuse and human trafficking. Once they arrive in Yemen, they face problems getting work and even having access to basic services. According to the UNHCR spokesperson Adrian Edwards, many of the refugees arrive dehydrated, malnourished and in a state of shock.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
