The approximately 150 Afghan refugees who are camped at Guarulhos Airport, in Greater São Paulo, should be taken to a shelter in Praia Grande, on the coast of the state.
The transfer must take place between this Friday (30th) and Saturday (1st), according to the federal government.
An outbreak of scabies (known as human scabies) has hit the group for about a week. According to the city of Guarulhos, 21 occurrences of the disease were confirmed by the municipal management. Cases range from children to entire families.
In view of the situation, the Ministry of Justice and Public Security informed this Friday that the approximately 150 Afghan immigrants who are at Guarulhos Airport will be transferred to Praia Grande. According to the folder, they will be hosted at the premises of the city’s Chemists’ Union.
“The work is being carried out in partnership with the government of São Paulo, the city of Praia Grande, the city of Guarulhos, with UNHCR (UN agency for refugees), Cáritas and other civil society entities involved with the issue,” the ministry said in a statement. note.
On Thursday afternoon (29), representatives of the three spheres of government met at the airport to discuss solutions for the refugees. Members of the United Nations and the Afghan Front, a collective that operates at the airport, also participated.
Previously, the Minister of Justice and Public Security, Flávio Dino, even said that Afghans would be temporarily accommodated in hotels, but representatives of the federal and state governments said after the meeting this Thursday that the measure was still being evaluated.
“We hope that, in the next few hours, we will already have an effective measure to respond to the situation”, said Renato Teixeira, national ombudsman for Human Rights. “The ombudsman was present and found a serious violation of the human rights of our Afghan brothers.”
The mayor of Guarulhos, Guti (PSD), recognized the importance of sending resources by the federal government, but demanded a “policy of interiorization”. “There are 11,000 visas issued or about to be issued, and 4,000 Afghans have passed through here,” he said. “It means we have 6 to 7 thousand Afghans to enter.”
“For four days, I only ate biscuits and water”
The Estadão report spent a few hours at Guarulhos Airport on Thursday. Two weeks ago in the country, logistics analyst Mohsen Kabiry, 38, was getting ready to sleep another night on the airport floor. Not knowing how to speak English, he asked another Afghan for help to say that half of the nine family members who came with him had scabies.
Artist couple Nematollah Vali, 29, and Forouzan Sediqi, 28, have also been affected by the outbreak. “When I arrived, I didn’t shower for a week, so I started having problems with my skin,” said Forouzan. “Luckily, they managed to take me to shower and it got a little better.”
On most days, Afghans do not have access to bathrooms with showers at the airport.
To clean themselves, many have the help of volunteers and even a hotel in the region, which offers about 20 daily baths to refugees. But other types of problems are reported. Afghans heard by the report complain of mold and infiltration in the walls, bad smell in the blankets and difficulty adapting.
“For four days, I only ate biscuits and water,” said Forouzan.
The situation has been going on for about a year, after Brazil granted a humanitarian visa to Afghans due to the Taliban extremist group taking power.
“What is happening is a tragedy announced. We already knew that (precarious conditions) since August of last year, when they already went 15, 20 days without bathing”, said Aline Sobral, current president of the Coletivo Frente Afgã.
According to the collective, on Thursday there were 175 refugees camped at the airport, all Muslims. This week alone, there were 35 new guests, which shows how the group has changed every week. In general, refugees spend around three weeks waiting to be welcomed. About 3 to 4 flights arrive a day from the Middle East, with the possibility of bringing in new Afghans in need of help.
The city hall of São Paulo reported having welcomed 718 Afghans between January and June 20 this year. Last year, there were 714.
The management of vacancies in the shelters is carried out by the State government, with the support of a service center installed in the mezzanine area of Terminal 2 by the City of Guarulhos. Municipal management also provides meals daily.
GRU Airport, the concessionaire that manages the airport, informed that it has contributed to support the performance of personal hygiene procedures and maintenance of constant cleaning of the space.
“The hygiene of the bathrooms in that area was also intensified”, he said. “The locker room, as it is an operational area for employees, is made possible within the conditions and availability of the airport, according to a plan in line with the city of Guarulhos.”
Source: CNN Brasil
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