Paul Mena, Journalist
Photo by: Paul Mena/2013
There is still much to tell
Ecuador is the country with the largest number of refugees in Latin America. During my career as a journalist, especially in the last five years as a correspondent for international news from Ecuador, I have written several newspaper articles on the situation of refugees in the country. But one of the dialogues that more reflections caused me was the one I had with children and adolescents Colombian refugees who explained to me the school drama they have faced since fleeing violence in their country. It was in May 2013, when I was preparing a note for the BBC that I met 7 children, aged between 4 and 13 years, who at the time were not enrolled in any educational institution. Several of them had been enrolled in schools in Quito, but ended up abandoning their studies. According to a survey on Colombian refugees conducted by the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO) and UNHCR in 2011, 2 of 10 children refugees in Ecuador, and 4 of 10 teens, do not have access to education. And according to the same survey, 31% of refugees pointed out the lack of funds as the main difficulty in accessing education, 14% cited discrimination, while 52% mentioned the lack of documentation. Around the plight of refugees there are stories of life that cannot be invisible, and journalists should address them ethically. There is much to tell.
By Paul Mena, BBC Mundo/Ecuador
