Context and background II. Due to the deteriorating situation in Venezuela, Guyana has been experiencing an increasing number of Venezuelan arrivals as well as Guyanese returnees, displaced from Venezuela due to the ongoing crisis. The most common reported reasons for leaving Venezuela include: deteriorating political and human rights situation, difficulties to cope with the hyper inflation; lack of access to basic goods and services  ( particularly food and health care ) ; insecurity and violence, among others. Exact numbers of Venezuelans in Guyana are not available, however an estimate1 suggests that approximately 36,400 Venezuelans and returning Guyanese have temporarily settled in Guyana and are in need of assistance and protection. A significant number of Venezuelans and returning Guyanese have their families still in Venezuela, therefore many of them regularly travel back and forth between the two countries  ( pendular movement )  or send medicines, food and other supplies with acquaintances or friends. Among the Venezuelans entering Guyana, members of the Warao indigenous community have been identified, some of which have been forced to leave their country and are settling with their families in Guyana seeking protection. Guyana and Venezuela share a border approximately 743 kilometers in length with a limited number of official immigration posts. Venezuelans and returning Guyanese are using various routes to enter into Guyana: the most common of which include by boat to Charity in Region 2, then to Bartica and the mining area in Region 7 and Georgetown in Region 4. Others will travel by boat to Port Kaituma and Mabaruma in Region 1 or by car to San Martin de Turumbán to reach Bartica and the mining area in Region 7. A reduced number of Venezuelans cross into Guyana by road or plane from Brazil. The latter is reportedly the safest route but one of the most expensive. Warao indigenous community members travel with their families by canoe to Region 1, particularly to Mabaruma area where some of them are hosted by members of the same community in Guyana. The Department of Immigration under the Ministry of Citizenship is registering and processing arrivals at official ports of entry, however, their capacity to respond to the influx of Venezuelans and returning Guyanese is challenged by limited resources. As a result, official statistics do not reflect the actual number of Venezuelans and returning Guyanese. Guyana has an open door policy to Venezuelans giving a 90 day legal stay permit upon registering with the Department of Immigration, with the possibility of extension for a similar period of time. Most of the Venezuelans use their passports, identity cards or birth certificates to enter in Guyana and to apply for the temporary legal stay permit. Over the years, Guyana has been battling gender  based violence  ( GBV ) , smuggling and trafficking in persons. According to a 2018 report by the US State Department2: “Guyana is a source and a destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor.' The report mentions that women and children from various countries in the region, including Venezuela, are subjected to sex trafficking in mining communities in the interior and urban areas. In addition to this, the report mentions that “limited government presence in the country's interior renders the full extent of trafficking unknown'.3 This preexisted the situation in Venezuela; however the growing numbers of Venezuelans leaving their country and trying to find an income to provide for their families is dramatically feeding smuggling and trafficking in persons networks, labor and sexual exploitation and violence mainly against women and girls. From focus group discussions  ( FGD )  conducted in November 2018 by UNFPA and UNHCR with Venezuelan women in Georgetown, serious security risks, GBV incidents and barriers to access to services were identified. Trafficking in persons, sexual violence, exploitation, harassment, and domestic violence are the most common types of violence faced by Venezuelan women in Guyana, and GBV incidents usually go unreported. Guyana possesses limited capacities to absorb a large influx of Venezuelans and returning Guyanese and provide adequate services, including for GBV prevention, mitigation and response. A request from the Inter Agency Coordination Group and the Government of Guyana for a GBV assessment was therefore sent to the GBV Working Group of the Regional Inter Agency Coordination Platform for Refugees and Migrants from Venezuela.