Originally posted by the Voice of America.
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Venezuelan Migrants Vulnerable to Exploitation, Abuse

Lisa Schlein

   GENEVA - A survey by the International Organization for Migration finds
   Venezuelan migrants and refugees are at high risk of exploitation and
   abuse. More than 4,600 people were surveyed in five Caribbean and
   Central American countries between July and December 2018.

   The survey provides a snapshot of the hardships encountered by a
   fraction of the four million people who have fled Venezuela's political
   and economic crisis over the past few years.

   One in five Venezuelans interviewed said they were forced to work under
   dire conditions without pay or were held against their will until they
   paid off a debt they incurred while escaping from Venezuela.

   Rosilyn Borland is an IOM senior regional migrant protection and
   assistance specialist based in Costa Rica. On a telephone line from the
   Costa Rican capital, San Jose, she tells VOA both men and women fall
   victim to traffickers who force them into abusive situations.

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