The role of the media in supporting refugees

Stories of asylum and refugees, scenes of death by drowning in the sea or thirst across the desert sands, and scenes of the continuous deportation of immigrants from countries of asylum to other countries. All of this prompted us at Jusoor International to hold a symposium on supporting refugee issues, specifically by means of media, as the information that outlets broadcast, publish, or circulate can have a positive or negative impact on refugees.

At the prestigious University of Geneva, I held a symposium in which two experts and specialists in refugee issues participated with me. We were also joined by two refugees from Chile who fled during the era of the dictator Augusto Pinochet, and they told their stories — the story of asylum and suffering over many years— and today they are fighting for the new refugees.

According to the latest statistics from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees last May, the number of refugees around the world reached 120 million. What is unfortunate about this number is that it has increased by 8 percent over the past year, which confirms that the refugee issue continues and is on the rise, and that international efforts have failed to address this issue. The result is either because of wars and conflicts, as people flee in search of safety and security for themselves, their families, and their children, or because of the poor economic conditions in their countries and their striving for a better job opportunity — and thus a life — and these are the majority of immigrants and refugees.

The issue of refugees and asylum is large and complex. What concerned us in this symposium — organized by the Jusoor International Center for Media and Development in Geneva — was the role of the media and media professionals in this issue, especially since it has become clear that some media outlets and professionals play a negative role and contribute to misrepresenting refugees, instigating fear of them, and arguing that they should not be received in their countries or that they should be expelled if they are already present. To do this, the focus is on the negative and sometimes criminal behaviors of some refugees and generalizing them to everyone, thus turning society and state officials against refugees.

Digital media and social media are used for the same purposes and have become a source of distortion and inconvenience for refugees. The refugee lives in a difficult situation by losing safety twice — the first time when he fled his country, and the second time when he discovered that the place where he thought he would find safety and security also was not safe!

What makes talking about refugees and focusing on their issue important at this time is that we are on the verge of a new phase in dealing with refugees, especially in Europe. With the far right coming to power in many countries, one of the files that the right is focusing on is rejecting refugees and getting rid of them. Media outlets and some right-wing media professionals are used to this purpose, and at the same time, social media has become a major option for them in their campaign against refugees and immigrants.

This requires that the United Nations and its various agencies, the High Commissioner for Refugees, and the High Commissioner for Human Rights have a greater role in protecting refugees by confronting this challenge in the media.