Venezuela Needs a Voice
For many, Venezuela is just an unknown and remote third world country located in South America. However, Venezuela can be known for having the biggest waterfall in the world, for its beautiful women, for its incredible beaches, and for being one the biggest oil exporters to the US (Miranda). All these attributes make Venezuela sound very attractive, but the truth is that the current situation of my country is frightening. Venezuela has been under a dictatorship for almost 15 years; during this period of time, Venezuelans’ human rights have been violated and the quality of life has deteriorated. Throughout my life, I have witnessed a government whose main goal is to suppress the people and to control all aspects of their lives. I consider myself a victim of the ongoing fascist government of Venezuela because thanks to it I had to migrate the United States in order to find a better quality of life, leaving behind my family and my friends. Meanwhile, I am having the chance to live outside Venezuela, many other victims do not have the same opportunity. They are still suffering the consequences from the bad governance. Therefore, on February 12, 2014, Venezuelan students along with opposition leaders went out to the streets to demand changes from the country’s leadership (Nagel). To this day, they have been passively protesting the social and economic crisis. The main problems causing the crisis are the polarized society created by the government, the crime that terrorizes citizens accompanied by impunity, and the high inflation rate and the shortages of essential products. As a Venezuelan living in the United States, I am trying to spread the word out. The world should show support and solidarity about the injustices Venezuelan people are enduring; Venezuela needs a voice.
The current polarization in Venezuela is more than evident; my country is going through the biggest crisis in its history because Venezuelans are unable to agree with...