The Venezuelan population, far from experiencing the official narratives of “greater growth” and “economic and social normalization,” is laid bare by devastating figures and realities that reveal the deepening humanitarian crisis. HumVenezuela’s special reports present an alarming portrait of a state that has abandoned its most basic functions, leaving the most vulnerable sectors in a daily struggle for survival. Under Nicolás Maduro’s administration and the direct oversight of Delcy Rodríguez in the economic and political spheres, and now as Acting President, the human rights to health, food, and education have long since ceased to be constitutional guarantees in the country, becoming unattainable luxuries.
The regime has decimated the public health system. According to the data collected, “7.2 million women, girls, and adolescents do not receive medical attention when they seek it at public health centers.” This figure is not just a number; it is evidence of a hospital system in ruins, lacking supplies and personnel. The impact on women is doubly degrading: the lack of sexual and reproductive health services is high, with “more than 500,000 women reporting a need for family planning services and 490,000 for childbirth care in the areas where they live”—needs that are simply not being met.
The direct consequence is extreme poverty. Women are forced to choose between eating and getting medical care, as “4.6 million women must cut back on health expenses so that their budget can cover food costs.” This dilemma, imposed by the Venezuelan regime’s indifference and lack of protection, despite years of substantial oil revenues, has plunged households into a state of accumulated vulnerability.
Meanwhile, Venezuela’s future is being mortgaged. The current administration has also failed to protect children and adolescents. Hunger is a palpable reality, as “190,000 children and adolescents need malnutrition treatment to which they have no access.” While official discourse ignores these shortcomings, a generation is growing up with irreversible physical and cognitive consequences.
In the educational sphere, the outlook is equally bleak:
• 1.5 million children and adolescents over the age of 3 are out of school.
• 1.7 million who are still attending are at risk of dropping out due to irregular attendance
• More than 400,000 are at risk of dropping out due to academic underachievement.
The right to education has ceased to be a path to social mobility and has become a victim of the humanitarian crisis, affecting parents, teachers, students, and the system as a whole.
The administration’s disregard for human rights extends to vulnerable groups. People with disabilities face a considerable barrier that means “1.1 million people with disabilities do not have access to health services,” and an equal number must reduce their daily food rations.
Older adults, after a lifetime of work, are condemned to destitution by meager pensions. The bulletin notes that “1.8 million elderly people must buy food daily because they cannot afford to stock up each month.” Furthermore, chronic lack of medical care affects nearly 700,000 seniors, who are slowly dying due to institutional decisions that have not been corrected.
Regarding the LGBTI community, this group faces structural discrimination that is exacerbated by the humanitarian crisis. In this regard, “1.3 million LGBTI people have had to reduce the number of meals they eat per day due to lack of income,” and one million have been forced to borrow money just to feed themselves. Ultimately, the situation reflects the accumulated suffering under the de facto government.
It is clear that the administrations of Nicolás Maduro and now Delcy Rodríguez have prioritized political control over investment in the well-being and protection of the population. The result has been a country where having an illness is potentially a death sentence. The numbers consistently support this claim:
• 4.9 million people with acute health problems spend more than half their budget on food, and most do not receive care in public hospitals.
• 2.7 million people with chronic conditions do not have access to preventive care in the public system.
• 600,000 children and adolescents with acute health problems do not receive care or have access to medicine.
In 2016, Delcy Rodríguez, then foreign minister, categorically denied the existence of a humanitarian emergency in Venezuela, and in 2018 she dismissed the link between the mass migration of Venezuelans and the humanitarian emergency. Given the inaction of the de facto government, the international community cannot remain a passive spectator of this humanitarian crisis. It is urgently necessary to strengthen funding for the United Nations Humanitarian Response Plan, ensuring that aid reaches civil society organizations operating on the ground directly, without political interference from the state. It is also imperative to exert diplomatic pressure for the opening of permanent humanitarian channels and the restoration of basic public services under international supervision. Finally, human rights organizations must continue to highlight and denounce the systematic deprivation of social rights, including the right to life, as a state policy that constitutes a persistent violation of the well-being of the Venezuelan people.