The Unsung Hero: Brazil Accepts More Syrian Refugees Than Southern Europe

While Europeans are building fences and walls to prevent the influx of refugees from the Middle East and North Africa, Brazil is quietly working on accepting asylum seekers.

Since the beginning of the Syrian conflict, Brazil has already admitted 2,077 refugees, Estadao newspaper reported.

In contrast, Spain admitted 1,335 Syrian refugees, Italy — 1,005, while only 15 refugees managed to enter Portugal, Estadao said, citing Eurostat data.

After the start of the Syrian conflict, the Brazilian government approved a new program, known as Conare, which simplifies the process of obtaining legal status for Syrian refugees.

"Besides solving the humanitarian issue, which alone should be a sufficient enough motive for admitting these people, Brazil meets its international obligations and commitments that are to provide safety to everyone who needs it," said Beto Vasconcelos, the president of Conare, as cited by Estadao.

The Navy of Brazil rescues 220 Syrian refugees in Mediterranean Sea… https://t.co/C0MHy99Q1d pic.twitter.com/k95UZSZrRq

— Abbs Winston (@AbbsWinston) 6 сентября 2015

Other South American countries also have similar programs that help refugees running from the Syrian war. In 2014, Argentina started a special government program dedicated to help the refugees coming in from the Middle East. Last Friday, the Argentine government extended the program.

Chile and Uruguay have also stepped up and said they'd admit asylum seekers.

Meanwhile, the European Union is currently grappling with a major refugee crisis, with hundreds of thousands of refugees trying to reach EU member states.