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News Articles: Venezuela crisis

Charloth Chirino poses for a portrait in her apartment in Medellín. Originally from Maracaibo, Venezuela, Charloth has been living in Colombia for seven years, three of those in Medellín. She has lived her life as a proud trans woman since she was 15 years old, when she also began working as a sex worker.

Displaced and Queer: These Venezuelans find community despite the obstacles

As a crisis continues to grip Venezuela, millions of its citizens have fled to Colombia and the city of Medellín, where many find a progressive reputation little more than an empty promise.

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By:
  • Lexi Parra
Ana Teresa Castillo, who runs a shelter for Venezuelan migrants in the Colombian border town of Villa del Rosario, says she is tending to many more rape victims now than before the pandemic began. She blames the closing of official border posts and gangs blocking their smuggling trails during daylight hours, forcing migrants to cross at night, when they are far more vulnerable.

Women Fleeing Venezuela Are Targeted With Sexual Assault As They Cross Into Colombia

Human rights activists have reported a sharp increase in sexual assaults and human trafficking involving Venezuelan women and girls trying to reach Colombia since the border closed amid the pandemic.

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By:
  • John Otis
Contraband fuel sits on the side of a road in Puerto Santander, Colombia, on May 31, 2019. The Venezuelan government's lack of cash to import gasoline combined with U.S. sanctions targeting the oil sector have led to chronic fuel shortages in Venezuela. That has upended a long-running, lucrative contraband gas trade.

Venezuela's Fuel Shortage Upends Longtime Colombian Border Gas Smuggling Trade

Motorists near Colombia's border with Venezuela used to opt for cheaper, smuggled gas from the neighboring country. Now the tables have turned.

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By:
  • John Otis