Immigrants face stigma from Ebola scare

After the first suspected Ebola case emerged in Brazil last week, black immigrants – especially those coming from Haiti and African countries – have faced discrimination. In some cities, both out in the streets and at the workplace, but mostly on social media, some foreigners living legally or illegally in Brazil have faced embarrassing situations.

One such city is Cascavel, in Paraná state, where a Guinean man formerly suspected of being infected with Ebola – Guinea is among the African countries facing an Ebola outbreak – received first care. The suspicion was ruled out following tests, but the stigma towards foreigners still persists.

“We hear people on the bus telling us we should go back to our country,” Marcelin Geffrard, vice-chairman of the Cascavel Haitians' Association, told Agência Brasil by telephone. “A friend came to complain that people were looking strangely at a group of Haitians in a local bus. Their colleagues at work were [also] ostracizing them. Some people even say they can't tell Africans from Haitians,” Geffrard went on.

Cascavel has been the destination of thousands of Haitians since 2010, when an earthquake devastated their country. Currently, more than 2,000 of them live there. It is the largest city in west Paraná, where a number of local factories have been employing foreign people. Besides Haitians, African immigrants have also been coming to the city in recent months.

Geffrard has been living in Brazil for nearly three years, and said he never faced discrimination until recently. But despite all distress that this has caused, he said he can understand people's “concern”. “That's because of Ebola. It makes people scared, it's a very serious disease.”

Local Welfare Secretary Susana Medeiros condemned all racist behavior, but conceded specific incidents may have been motivated by fear of the disease. Still, she pointed out that the city is used to welcoming foreigners and giving assistance. “Our city is a hospitable one,” she said.

Rosita Milesi, coordinator of Instituto Migrações – a network of over 50 organizations that provide support to immigrants and refugees in all Brazilian regions – noted that “hostility” to black immigrants has been common in Brazil even before the recent Ebola outbreak.

“Sometimes harassment begins on social media, because it's just easier to say what you want when people can't see you. Unfortunately, black immigrants of all nationalities have been discriminated against. While it's quite reasonable to be cautious about spreading a disease, under no circumstances can discrimination against immigrants or anyone else be justified,” he said.

João Guilherme Granja, head of the National Justice Secretariat Department for Foreign Nationals, pointed out that stigmatizing foreigners is illegal and can put the whole country at risk. “No one must be stigmatized, regardless of whether they're immigrants and of their legal immigration status. For the sake of public health, we have a policy of non-criminalization toward immigration,” he said.

According to him, the role of carrying out the first health checks in overseas travelers lies with their departure countries. If there are no symptoms at the time of departure, the destination country is responsible for conducting all health controls, and ultimately providing care to the travelers. “In Brazil, access to healthcare is guaranteed to all immigrants. This enables us to quickly investigate and address any concerns and provide care,” he explained.

Translated by Mayra Borges