Last Wednesday, June 25, the regional team of Migration, Displacement, Victims of Trafficking and Refuge of Cáritas Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) organized the virtual conversation "Narratives with hope: transforming narratives about refuge". This event, with the participation of communicators from the region, had the main objective of promoting a reflection on the narratives around refugees, promoting a more humane, supportive approach based on the recognition of their rights. The main motivation was World Refugee Day, celebrated annually on June 18.

In a regional context where discourses of fear, stigmatization and misinformation continue to deeply impact the perception of refugees and forced migrants, this meeting sought to make current narratives visible, encourage dialogue and exchange of experiences, and identify communication keys to improve the institutional approach to the issue.

Disinformation, algorithms and the rise of hate speech

The main presentation of the conversation was given by Ronal F. Rodríguez, researcher and spokesperson for the Venezuela Observatory of the University of Rosario and professor at the University of La Sabana. Dr. Rodríguez offered many examples and analyzes starting with the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar, where misinformation on social networks like Facebook exacerbated violence against this Muslim minority.

Rodríguez explained how social networks prioritize content that generates interaction, even if it is false, giving it greater visibility and amplifying hate narratives. He compared this situation to the current anti-immigration discourse in the United States and Europe, where isolated incidents are used to criminalize entire populations, and highlighted the role of artificial intelligence and algorithms in amplifying these discourses.

Likewise, he regretted how the Venezuelan population has become an object of hatred and fear in North American society without representing a real danger, and pointed out the decrease in international cooperation, which is now reoriented towards military purposes. Rodríguez emphasized the importance of promoting the integration of migrants and people in refugee status, and in the face of the challenge of algorithms, he urged citizens to take action and civil society organizations and journalists to assume a fundamental pedagogical role.

Voices from experience: stories of resilience and hope

The conversation featured two emotional testimonies that gave voice and face to the reality of migration. Yosmel Caña is Venezuelan and is currently at the Sagrada Familia Migrant Rest Center, in the city of Danlí, Honduras. He denounced the mistreatment and rejection that many migrants face due to hate speech. He highlighted the importance of faith and hope for those who go through difficult situations such as kidnappings and mistreatment, and thanked the support received in Honduras and the role of the Church in nourishing the faith of migrants. "Being a migrant is not a crime and that, despite the difficulties, migrants are parents, children and families looking for a better future.

For her part, María Auxiliadora Carvajal, a Venezuelan psychologist seeking asylum in Colombia, recounted her arrival in 2018 fleeing the violation of basic rights and the loss of freedom of expression in Venezuela. She highlighted how her knowledge about the refugee application process allowed her to obtain legal status and emphasized the importance of purpose when migrating to remain stable and persevering. “When I can have a purpose and know where I am going, I think that allows me to be more stable, more consistent, more persevering in what I need for myself and my family. Certainly there are many challenges that we as migrants and seekers of refuge in a country have," he said.

María Auxiliadora also shared her personal experience about the support received in Colombia from institutions of the Catholic Church, UNHCR and Europana, crucial for her reconstruction of life.

Keys to ethical and transformative narratives

At the closing of the conversation, journalist María Eva Lobo, from Cáritas de Venezuela and communications leader at Cáritas LAC, presented seven fundamental recommendations to promote ethical and transformative narratives about migrants and refugees. He underlined the responsibility of institutions to communicate with precision, empathy and respect.

The recommendations include:

• Humanize the stories beyond the numbers: Prioritize individual stories and personal experiences, including testimonies, photographs and videos that show the resilience and diversity of people, and always obtaining consent. informed.
• Inclusive and dignified language and terminology: Avoid pejorative terms such as "illegals" or "invaders", and use "refugee", "migrant", "people in human mobility" or "asylum seekers", explaining the differences according to international law.
• Diversify and verify sources of information: Especially in times of fake news, it is crucial to verify each source, include the voices of people on the move as a primary source, and avoid relying only on unverified government sources.
• Respectful and empowering visual content: Use images that empower and show the dignity of people, avoiding sensational images that victimize without context and prioritizing photos that show their diligence and contribution to host societies.
• Highlight root causes and regional impact: Analyze the reasons behind forced migration (violence, persecution, economic crises, natural disasters) and show the impact on the communities of origin, transit and destination, promoting the understanding of migration as a complex and multidimensional phenomenon.
• Communicate support actions and reinforce institutional commitment: Highlight actions of humanitarian assistance, defense of rights and integration, collaboration between organizations and governments, and reinforce institutional commitment to the values of reception, protection, promotion and integration, remembering the Pope's four verbs Francisco.
• Counter misinformation and xenophobia: Carry out permanent monitoring to identify false narratives and hate speech, build own narratives that positively reposition mobility, and publish accurate and verified information to debunk myths, promoting education and awareness.

In conclusion, the event reaffirmed the continuous commitment to ethical communication that dignifies others, with the ultimate goal of promoting a more informed, understanding and supportive society with refugees and migrants, promoting critical reflection and constructive dialogue on migration. Mario Alexis Cerrato, in closing, emphasized that this meeting is an impulse to change narratives and make visible the human face of the brothers in refuge.