DPU wants to make family reunion visas more flexible for Afghans – 09/28/2024 – Panel

The DPU (Union Public Defender’s Office) filed a public civil action on the 19th asking for the relaxation of documents required to grant family reunion visas to Afghan immigrants, in an attempt to reduce cases of non-recognition of this right in the country.

The action was carried out by the National Human Rights Defender’s Office and the DPU’s Migration, Statelessness and Refuge Working Group. The intention is to exempt refugees from presenting documents that can only be issued by the consular representation or in the country of origin.

The document shows that, between 2021 and 2024, 11,107 humanitarian reception visas were issued to Afghans, compared to just 47 for family reunions.

The action cites a UN report published in 2022 that highlights extrajudicial executions, torture, ill-treatment, arrests, arbitrary detentions and a situation of serious human rights violations in Afghanistan, which highlights the violence of the aforementioned regime towards opponents.

“Women, in particular, face drastic restrictions. Under the Taliban regime, they are subjected to a series of draconian restrictions that affect every aspect of their lives, from education to work and personal freedom,” writes the DPU.

The Public Defender’s Office, in the action, states that one of the most significant problems faced by these migrants is family reunion. “Many Afghans who manage to reach Brazil are forced to leave behind family members who are still at risk in Afghanistan or in transit countries with restrictive migration policies.”

The action recalls that access to the documents required to grant a family reunion visa is “practically impossible amid the collapse of the State and government repression.”

“The cases that reach the DPU reveal that many Afghans flee their places of origin without the slightest possibility of gathering or carrying any official documentation that is required by the Brazilian authorities for the family reunion”, he highlights.

The Ombudsman’s Office argues that, in the case of the Afghans, “the individual cannot be required to carry out a move that is financially unfeasible and risky to their physical integrity, nor that they contact a diplomatic representation of their country, since Afghanistan is currently under the Taliban regime, a scenario that makes such alternatives unfeasible, making them impractical.”

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