Since 2021, when the fundamentalist Taliban group returned to power in Afghanistan, its citizens have sought refuge in other countries, including the. Brazil, which has a service station of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) at Guarulhos International Airport, in São Paulo. One challenge, however, is to facilitate the entry of Afghans into the labor market, which requires adaptations in the selection processes. The issue was discussed this Thursday (12) at the offices of the American Chamber of Commerce (Amcham), in São Paulo. At the event, the UNHCR deputy representative in Brazil, Oscar Sánchez Piñeiro, said that 80% of Afghan refugees have at least completed high school and that 59% have completed higher education or even a postgraduate degree. This means that it is a highly qualified contingent, he said. Even with a high level of formal education, Afghans, as well as other immigrants and refugees arriving in Brazil, run into a series of obstacles when applying for a job. For this reason, UNHCR recommends that, when opening their doors to them, companies pay attention to certain aspects. Companies should seek to offer vacancies that do not require fluency in Portuguese, a language very different from the one spoken in Afghanistan. Another suggestion is to indicate an employee as a reference to whom the Afghan colleague can turn, during the integration process, after being admitted to the company, as observed by UNHCR’s Durable Solutions assistant, Camila Sombra. “What helps to develop fluency in the language is precisely the coexistence”, says Camila. The head of the UNHCR office in São Paulo, Maria Beatriz Bonna Nogueira, pointed out that, until a few years ago, practices called ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance, an acronym that can be translated as environmental, social and governance) did not even maintain refugee needs on its radar, a humanitarian issue that has only recently gained more attention. According to Maria Beatriz, it is not enough to issue documentation for Afghans without truly promoting their integration into Brazilian society. “It’s a job that only comes true with the engagement of the whole of society. It’s no use having the right to a work card if a job card just taken out, ‘clean’, is not seen with good eyes at the time of hiring”, he emphasized. she. According to a survey by UNHCR, most of the Afghans assisted by the agency are legal, social and cultural professionals, such as journalists, lawyers, social workers and economists. The second largest group is education professionals. Next come administrative and commercial managers, business and administrative professionals, health, military and security personnel, in addition to those working in the fields of science and engineering and information and communication technicians. Fewer in number are sellers. Opportunities Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein is one of the places in São Paulo that has signaled openness and welcomed refugees and immigrants. Currently, the unit’s team has 48 refugees of different nationalities. At Albert Einstein, Afghan Fatima Rezayee works, graduated in social sciences and business administration and with an MBA in her curriculum. Three months ago, she got the position, which was not vacant. What the human resources sector did was receive her and talk to her to verify, based on her qualifications and experience, what she could fit into the hospital. Fatima arrived in Brazil nine months ago, with her family, after passing through Iran and the United States, fleeing the Taliban regime, which curtailed several women’s rights. “We usually don’t have the vacancy. What we have is the look of this manager, who is more aware, more open, taking them there and meeting people. With that, we will create the opportunity. This dynamism is also important so that you don’t expect a normal flow, with which we are more accustomed, to intentionally create opportunities with the teams”, says the hospital’s human resources analyst, Natany Ribeiro. In addition to Albert Einstein, other organizations play an equally important role, which is to mediate between workers and companies. Cáritas Arquidiocesana de São Paulo is one of these institutions, along with Missão Paz, which also helps immigrants and refugees to prepare CVs. Another path is the Refugiados Empreendedores website, a platform that emerged in the context of the covid-19 pandemic. The website provides tips on entrepreneurship, courses and how to obtain credit and microcredit to run businesses, and existing businesses are advertised.
Agência Brasil
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