Crisis in Venezuela.

On the very edge of Latin America, the nation of Venezuela would be forever changed by the expedition of Christopher Columbus over 500 years prior. Its strategic location was imperative for early traders, and its rich biodiversity made it an attractive settlement area. Notably Venezuela has the 7th largest number of species in the world and ecosystems ranging from the Amazon to the South, the Caribbean Coast to the North and East, and to the West the Andes Mountains.

Venezuela became one of the first independent nations within Latin America in 1811 breaking away from the Spanish who colonised the area in 1522. However, political turmoil and military autocracy has led to a troubled beginning. Venezuela today is rampant with human rights abuses, and much of the population is at constant risk of murder, starvation, disease and persecution on palpable levels.

Historically, Venezuela has been a prosperous nation, however economic troubles have plagued the nation for decades. Rampant corruption in the government instigated multiple unsuccessful coups and led to the impeachment of its President for embezzling public funds. What arose was the ‘Bolivarian Revolution’ orchestrated by none other than Hugo Chávez and the writing of a new Constitution.

Venezuela predominantly relies on its oil trade to provide for its economy. Presently they have the world’s largest oil reserves and the eighth largest natural gas reserves. When this was discovered during WWI, Venezuela had Latin America’s highest GDP and was the world’s largest oil exporter. When the oil industry became more competitive however, and the distribution more corrupt, things started to change.

The Venezuelan government traditionally used the nationalised oil industry for popular socialist policies like affordable housing and social care. However, when the money dried up and the people became frustrated, the sentiment shifted. Public demonstrations against government policies were met with an Iron Fist. The Caracazo Riots in 1989 left hundreds of peaceful demonstrators’ dead. The Opposition parties of today have shared similar fates, many are arbitrarily detained and tortured, including Party leaders such as Leopoldo López and Antonio Ledezma.

‘President’ Nicolás Maduro, has been branded a dictator, with total support of the Supreme Court of Venezuela who overturn any decision made against him by the Opposition controlled National Assembly. Maduro went further and announced new Constituent Assembly Elections and stripped the National Assembly of any powers. To top it off, he then barred Opposition leaders from participating in future Presidential votes as they boycotted Mayoral Polls, a truly democratic move.

With a corrupt government bleeding the country and the people hungry and restless, there has been a surge in mass hyperinflation, economic depression, unemployment, poverty, child mortality, murder, crime… the list goes on. Venezuela is now known as the ‘Murder Capital of the World.’ You probably won’t find that on TripAdvisor. Someone is murdered every 21 minutes, the situation is so dire that the government no longer produces crime data, the homicide rate is estimated as the world’s highest with over 200 000 people murdered.

As a result of this lovely situation, the government is devaluing its currency, in 2015 Venezuela had the world’s highest inflation rate, making it impossible to access basic goods and medicine. A study by Diario Las Américas in 2016 stated that 15% of Venezuelans are eating “food waste discarded by commercial establishments.” Fox News Latino reported that during a riot in one of the many overcrowded prisons, 40 inmates dismembered and consumed three of their fellow inmates.

Many refugees who have left recount stories of having to eat wild fruit or scavenge through dumpsters and trash bags. One women would tell me she had to wait in line for seven hours for necessities like diapers, milk and flour.

Venezuelan Priests have even told citizens to label their rubbish, so scavengers could feed on their refuse. Even with the world’s largest oil reserves, many are still without gas, running water and electricity.

The IMF predicts a 13,000% increase of inflation, with the economy shrinking from anywhere between 15% to 79%. Now that sounds awful, but have a look at a few of the headlines that have come out of Venezuela these past months:

• On Margarita Island dozens of people waded into the ocean and forced their way aboard a fishing boat, making off with its catch of sardines.
• In the city of Maracay, just west of Caracas, thieves broke into a veterinary school, stole two pregnant thoroughbred horses and slaughtered them for meat.
• A recent video from the western state of Mérida shows a group of people cornering a cow before stoning it to death as bystanders’ yell: “The people are hungry!”

Clearly the situation is dire, Venezuela is on the brink of collapse. Food, medicine and basic supplies are scarce, crime and murder are at its highest levels and any demonstration is met with brute force and imprisonment. Many who try to flee are captured or abused by the Drug Cartels, or bandits who plague the mountainside. Those who can afford tickets abroad are met with hostile resistance and threats to their family back home. Human rights violations continue, and the people continue to suffer. As the government desperately try to cling on to power, thousands of more innocents are left dying on the streets, how much longer can this go on until real change takes place.