In a report released Thursday, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet urged Venezuela to take immediate steps to address “grave violations of economic, social, civil, political and cultural rights” in the country.

The report warns that if the situation does not improve, an unprecedented outflow of Venezuelan migrants and refugees will continue to increase.

Based on hundreds of interviews with victims and witnesses of human rights violations both in and around Venezuela, the report covers a period from January 2018 to May 2019. It highlights the impact of a deepening “economic crisis” where the Venezuelan government and its institutions have implemented a strategy of targeted repression, discrimination, and persecution on political grounds. After the opposition won a majority of National Assembly seats in 2016, measures aimed at “neutralizing, repressing and criminalizing political opponents and people critical of the Government” have increased and accelerated steadily through a series of laws policies and practices which “has restricted the democratic space.”

Bachelet visited Venezuela for three days in order to meet a wide range of people, including President Nicolas Maduro, senior government officials, business representatives, academics, civic leaders, as well as victims and their families. This comes days after Bachelet called for an investigation into the death-in-custody of a Navy Captain accused of plotting against Maduro.

Upon conclusion of Bachelet’s visit, a team of two UN human rights officers remained, with a mandate to provide technical assistance and advice and to monitor the human rights situation in the country.

The report and subsequent oral update on Friday detail the steady militarization of state institutions over the past decade. During the period of the report, civil and military forces have allegedly been responsible for arbitrary detentions; ill-treatment and torture of people critical of the government and their relatives; sexual and gender-based violence during detention and visits; and excessive use of force during demonstrations.

Pro-government armed civilian groups, known as colectivos, have also contributed to the situation by helping repress demonstrations and implementing social control in local communities. According to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) news release, 14 deaths during demonstrations have been reported in the context of 2018 demonstrations and with 66 deaths documented during protests between January and May 2019. Amnesty International has called such killings by the Venezuelan government crimes against humanity.

In 2018, the government registered 5,287 killings, purportedly for “resistance to authority,” a number which the report describes as “unusually high.” Between January 1st and May 19th of this year, another 1,569 people were killed, according to government figures. Although NGO Observatorio Venezolano de la Violencia estimates these killings total around 9,647 for the same periods of time.

The report notes that the majority of victims of human rights violations have had no effective access to justice and remedies. “According to interviewees, few people file complaints for fear of reprisals and lack of trust in the justice system,” the report notes.

Of those that file reports, many are women who face pervasive obstacles, and ultimately see no progress in the majority of the investigations. “The Attorney-General’s Office has regularly failed to comply with its obligation to investigate and prosecute perpetrators, and the Ombudsperson has remained silent vis-à-vis human rights violations.”

On freedom of expression, the report notes that the spaces for free and independent media have shrunk through the banning and closure of independent media outlets, and the detention of independent journalists. In addition to the censure of media outlets, the report indicates that “the Government has blocked independent news websites and regularly blocked the main social media platforms” within Venezuela.

While the economic woes of Venezuela began well before any sectoral sanctions were imposed, the report says that the latest economic sanctions are further exacerbating the effects of the economic and humanitarian crises.

Additionally, it says, the state is violating its obligations to ensure access to food and health. Interviewees report the progressive scarcity and unaffordability of food, which has meant fewer meals of lower nutritional value, high levels of malnutrition, and a particularly adverse impact on women, of whom many reported spending an average of 10 hours per day in line for food. Despite the government’s efforts to address the situation through social programs over two decades, large portions of the population still do not have access to food distributions. Interviewees accused authorities of excluding them because they were not government supporters.

The report cites a 2019 National Hospital Survey, which found that over three months, 1,557 people died in hospital because of lack of supplies. Hospitals in the country currently lack supplies, medicines, and electricity to keep medical equipment running. Over 40 patients have reportedly died as a result of blackouts. These conditions have purportedly caused many women to give birth abroad.

The report also addresses the disproportionate impact of the humanitarian situation of indigenous peoples, and their loss of control of their land through the presence of military forces, organized crime, and armed groups.

The report also sets out a series of recommendations for the Venezuelan government to address the human rights violations it documents.

“I sincerely hope the authorities will take a close look at all the information included in this report and will follow its recommendations. We should all be able to agree that all Venezuelans deserve a better life, free from fear and with access to adequate food, water, healthcare, housing and all other basic human needs,” Bachelet said.

Bachelet then called upon “all those with the power and influence – within Venezuela and elsewhere – to work together, and to make the necessary compromises to resolve this all-consuming crisis.”