Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Argentina one of the top destinations for immigrants in LatAm; health issues a challenge

Argentina is one of the top ten destinations for immigrants in Latin America and Caribbean along with Venezuela, México, Brazil, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Chile, Paraguay and Bolivia, said representative from the United Nations Population Fund, Elena Zúñiga Herrera.

According to the document – titled “Health rights have no borders” – the top ten countries senders of immigrants in Latin America include México, Colombia, Cuba, Brazil, El Salvador, Ecuador, Peru, Dominican Republic, Haiti and Jamaica. Up to 2010, 5,2% of Latin American population was composed by immigrants, over 30 million people, the report showed.

But the UN representative warns big challenges lie ahead of integration. “International immigration posts big questions for transitory, sender and destination countries,” Herrera remarked.

“For instance, the phenomenon deeply affects the health of those immigrants. It demands responses from interstate and regional institutions. Particularly women have limited access to the health system and are unaware of their sexual health rights.”

“Access to sexual health is a basic human right, recognized in several international spheres. Nonetheless, as immigrants cross borders, they seem to find obstacles such as economic, legal, social and cultural impediments,” Herrera explained.