ICERAS

The current refugee crisis is the biggest since the Second World War, with 1,865 people having died in the last six months while crossing the Mediterranean. Due to the scale of this crisis, people in unaffected regions have come to associate the term ‘refugee’ with destitute migrants fleeing their homes and taking highly dangerous journeys to cross into Europe.

Refugees are often presented in the media and by a range of political parties as vulnerable, poor, benefit-dependent and a potential social and economic threat to the receiving society. They are subjected to media reporting that uses phrases such as “new migrant flood on way”, “illegal immigrants” and “refugee surge”. This can affect how local communities receive refugees and impede their social inclusion into the receiving country. READMORE