Paper short abstract:

A brief description of current Brazilian policy for refugees’ rights was performed. To understand the actual scenario, the case of refugees from the DRC in Rio de Janeiro was analyzed through a participant observation and a literature review. Refugees have little support, thus policies need to be updated.

Paper long abstract:

The number of refugees and asylum seekers in Brazil has increased substantially in the last 5 years. They are a group of high vulnerability because of many material and symbolic losses. Also, they face language and cultural barriers and suffer an acculturation process. This article briefly describes the Brazilian refugee acceptance process and the current policy for refugees' rights. The Brazilian health policy is presented in more detail since it is based in the human rights and guarantees access to any person in Brazilian territory. In order to analyze the actual situation and support of refugees, the case of refugees and asylum seekers from the DRC in Rio de Janeiro was mobilized as an example. How they access health services will be analyzed in comparison to other services. We performed a participant observation with the RDC Community during a year, along side health promotion actives we implemented. Also, we carried out a literature review in the grey literature. We found out that Brazilian Public Policies of immigrant integration are outdated. The refugee acceptance process is slow. Hence, they do not have access to all the rights they are entitled to. The Brazilian health policy is advanced and the system is universal, so they enter the health services. Nevertheless, they face barriers to have full access. Some of them are similar when searching for legal or social services, too. Obstacles faced in Brazil do not help to promote integration in society. Policies and support programs need to evaluated and updated.