Migrants and Refugees: at the core of the Portuguese ICC Network Strategy
Obviously, this focus cannot be detached from the recent trajectory of Portugal, namely, the fact that during the 1990s it became a country of immigration, receiving large numbers of migrants that where looking for jobs and improvements in their life conditions. This reshaped the Portuguese sociocultural landscape, while also having profound positive impacts in the economy. However, specially due to widespread austerity and severe economic recession in more recent years, the Portuguese profile has changed, migration ceased and emigration levels skyrocketed. In 2011, for the first time since 1992, net migration figures were negative.
In late 2015, the first 24 refugees arrived at Portugal. Already in 2016, the government announced that the country was willing to receive around 5 000 refugees, approximately 3% of the 160 000 refugees that the EU was able to accept within the framework of its relocation policy. At the moment, Portugal has only received 211 refugees. Nevertheless, this issue seems to have had a rather disproportioned social impact, arguably due to an institutional incapacity to deconstruct and counter the rapid dissemination of biased and prejudiced views on refugees and their role in Portuguese economy and society.
Realizing the potential risks and challenges brought by this complex and highly dynamic situation, in January 2015, the Portuguese ICC Network decided to directly address this issue, bearing in mind that it needs to take into account both the structural impact of migrants as well as the more contingent and limited impact of refugees. Hence, benefiting from the previous experience of Amadora and Loures in the C4i project, the strong commitment of all the cities in the Network, as well as the profound knowledge and expertise of Dani de Torres, coordinator of the Spanish ICC Network, Portugal has initiated the development of an anti-rumor strategy aimed at dealing with the prejudices, discriminatory practices and discourses faced by migrants and refugees in their daily lives. The Portuguese ICC Network, currently constituted by 11 cities from all over the country, is excited to initiate the development and implementation of the aforementioned strategy, and is highly committed to minimize the negative impacts of rumors while stressing the multiple advantages (economic, political, cultural, etc.) of diversity.
André Carmo
Coordinator of the Portuguese ICC Network
Photo: Lukasz Z / Shutterstock.com
