As our media has shaped the narrative on the current refugee crisis facing Europe and beyond, the words and images used often reveal a single perspective on the issue. More recently the images have changed from those of young men trying to board trains in Calais to images of children, with their families. Often the accompanying headlines confuse migrant, asylum seeker and refugee using language in pejorative and misleading ways. Young people of all ages have been witness to this and need space to reflect, think and respond to what they see and hear. How do we help them make sense of what they see and navigate the shifting perspectives on what we do as individuals or as a nation in response?
Poor countries look after most of the world’s refugees – not Scotland
Human Rights
Framing this from a Rights perspective is a good place to start. There are key Articles in the UNCRC which directly address a child’s Right to protection and refuge. A staggering 51% of refugees are children (UN 2014 figures).
These Rights are universal, and therefore an entitlement to the many children and families who are risking their lives to seek safety in Europe. Viewed within this context countries which fail to provide provision or safe passage to refugees are directly contravening the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 1951 UN Refugee Convention which seeks to protect refugees. Setting a limit on numbers who can enter and seek refuge is therefore problematic when considered from this perspective.
There is no such thing as an ‘illegal’ asylum seeker
As well as providing protection, Children’s Rights also seek to ensure that access to basic needs - food, shelter, water, education are met. Globally most of the 30 million refugee children will not receive an education. Providing a school is not the top priority within a Refugee Camp with scarce resources.
While the situation can seem overwhelming, encouraging empathy across our shared humanity and human needs and rights is so important. There are a number of activities which support children to do this. For example this Red Cross photo activity, encourages children to empathise with the people in the images and then to imagine themselves what it would be like to leave and travel to unknown places to seek safety.
Reading the Media
Developing critical literacy is a key skill in Global Citizenship and a necessary one for interpreting the way the media is shaping and directing the narrative of this issue. Newspaper headlines present different, and often conflicting, perspectives of an issue. How images are selected, captioned and used is hugely influential in how we respond to a story. Only one newspaper chose to run with the image of Aylan Kurdi, the young Syrian boy found dead on a Mediterranean beach, yet the photo was widely distributed on social media and is widely credited as a turning point in how the narrative unfolded. Social media continues to play a large role in grassroots responses as people reject the ‘official’ government line.
Much of the language used to describe refugees, migrants and asylum seekers has been negative and lacks objectivity. Examining headlines and unpacking the language used to describe this issue is a useful way of separating the facts from opinions but also reflecting on the values which underpin these views. ‘As ithers see us’ from the resource A’Adam’s Bairns? is a good starting point to begin to look at the language, focusing on how people from the UK have been considered by others.
Global issues
These incidents of mass movement of people do not happen in isolation. The Syrian crisis is complex; however there are some helpful short animations such as this one, which summarise the key issues and are very accessible, but we should be aware of bias in all such clips. www.patreon.com/posts/european-refugee-3340857
51% of refugees are children
It is also useful to make the connections to other global issues. The seeds of the current Syrian conflict stem from climate change as well as the political and historical contexts. This comic from Upworthy explores how these issues are connected to the current refugee crisis.
Oxfam have produced online resources which look at the impact of the crisis on refugee children in Lebanon and Jordan and how young people in the UK can effectively respond.
Beyond Syria
Not all those seeking refuge are from Syria. Large numbers of people are leaving Afghanistan, Somalia, Eritrea and Sudan amongst others, to sanctuary and a better life. Often branded ‘economic migrants’ this term has become loaded with negative connotations; people don’t leave their homes and subject themselves to horrific and potentially fatal journeys lightly. Poverty and inequality play a role in people deciding that their only option is to leave and hope for something better. Oppressive regimes and persecution for the rights to express our sexuality and freedom of speech also play a role.
Curriculum links
Beyond discussion and exploration around the immediate crisis, there are many places within the curriculum where the theme of refugees can be introduced. Scarce resources, climate change and lack of access to basic needs remain key drivers of conflict and fuel on-going movements of displaced people and refugees. Specific topics on migration are taught within social subjects itself including population, migration patterns and historical comparisons to WWII refugee crisis.
Signposts for Global Citizenship provides a comprehensive list of resources to support all these themes.
Whose values?
Fundamentally this is about exploring what it means to be human. It is about our values and those of other people. It is about challenging the attitudes which are dominant in some parts of the press. It is about providing accurate information and dispelling myths. It is about enabling young people to decide for themselves on an issue which none of us should look away from.
Further information about the support offered by the IDEAS network in Scotland around this crisis can be found at http://www.ideas-forum.org.uk/news/item/54-refugee-crisis
