Charissa Isidro
borderline-europe
Berlin, Germany
Hello! My name is Charissa and I am a rising senior in the College of Arts and Sciences double-majoring in Journalism and Social and Cultural Analysis. This summer, I’ll be going to Berlin to work with Borderline-Europe, an organization that advocates for migrants and refugees. Their motto is “Menschenrechten ohne Grenzen,” which means “human rights without borders,” and their mission is to “break the silence” by informing people of the situation at the borders. They hope their efforts will gain widespread public support for refugees and in turn create safer passage for them across the Mediterranean.
My human rights project involves research on the integration of refugees, specifically focusing on migrants’ and refugees’ right to an adequate standard of living. This includes decent housing, dignified employment, good education, and access to proper healthcare. These aspects are important not only for them to have a dignified life but also for for them to have successful integration into a new society. I believe it’s important that the basic survival needs of migrants and refugees be met, but that isn’t enough. It’s vital for them to be integrated into and included in their host societies so that their rights are respected and so that they are not relegated to being oppressed.
I think this project is interesting because it forces me to rethink my own notions of identity, democracy, and citizenship. This is useful because immigrants, including migrants and refugees, are so often the most vulnerable in society. Not only must they face the difficulties of adapting to new environments, but they also lack the political means to truly advocate for themselves. As for refugees, these are people who have been forced out of their homes because of circumstances they cannot control, or because of punishment for exercising agency and demanding a better life for themselves, which is their right as humans. And as they flee for their lives, so much negative rhetoric surrounds them, leading them to be labeled as “waves” and “tides” and “swarms” and “burdens.”
Going into this project, I anticipate many challenges. In a practical sense, the language barriers between myself and the refugees I meet will definitely present a struggle for my research. I think my position as an outsider will pose unique challenges too. I’m neither Syrian nor German nor European. I don’t know what it’s like to be a refugee, to flee war, or to be displaced. However, I am an immigrant, albeit one who is in a very privileged position and who is unfortunately a testament to the “model minority” myth. I also think it will be a challenge for me to help change the thinking and negativity that’s often present in the media about refugees, but ultimately, I would like for my work to be significant and critical in a positive way.