The thread of this story begins in IOM Mexico with an investigation in Monterrey, Oaxaca and Puebla which revealed that only 4 out of 10 people know the meaning of xenophobia, and 6 out of 10 identify what discrimination is.
Therefore, our mission is to promote empathy and share knowledge on migration and xenophobia to eliminate hate speech.
Xenophobia
Greek.
Xeno means someone or something of foreign origin and phobia means fear. The rejection of foreign people.
According to research, xenophobia in Mexico has an emotional origin, it is the result of feeling fear of foreign people. In fact, the National Survey on Discrimination (ENADIS) of 2022 states that:
28.8% of the migrant population in Mexico reported being discriminated against at least once in 1 year . And 56.4% considered that their rights are not respected.
Source: ENADIS 2022.
What are the main reasons why people are discriminated against?
The diversity of discriminatory practices shows the complexity of the problem. A person may be subjected to more than one reason for being discriminated against, including xenophobic motives.
Beyond prejudice, how many foreigners actually live in Mexico?
MExico has 129 million inhabitants and only 1% is the total foreign population living in the country. The main nationalities are American, Spanish, French and Guatemalan.
If it is only 1%, why is it so scary?
Racism and Classism
Racism and classism are deeply rooted in all three cities, and discrimination is intersectional. In fact, ethnic, economic, cultural and phenotypic (people's appearance) aspects are intertwined.
Conservative society
Social changes can trigger tension and discriminatory behaviors in communities with deep beliefs rooted in traditions and customs.
A strong local identity and sense of belonging
These feelings often lead to the reproduction of stereotypes and discrimination against people from other regions, with different accents or cultures.
Instead of xenophobia, you can choose the Inclusion Recipe!
Let's acknowledge how migration can strengthen economies, enrich cultures and make societies bloom!
You can choose the thread of empathy to connect with migrant people and transcend prejudices.
A C4D strategy by IOM Mexico.
Funded by the U.S. Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration