The Securitisation of the Refugee Crisis and Attitudes Towards Refugees.

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Pastira, Evgenia. 2025. The Securitisation of the Refugee Crisis and Attitudes Towards Refugees. In: Panagiotis Pentaris and Janet Walker, eds. The Routledge International Handbook of Glocal Social Work. Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 359-373. ISBN 9781032814001 [Book Section]

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Abstract or Description

The securitisation of the refugee crisis and societal attitudes towards refugees in Greece and the UK are critically examined in this chapter, by highlighting their interconnected yet distinct challenges. Since 2015, Europe has experienced an escalating migration crisis which has been aggravated by the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine and natural/human-made disasters. While empathy towards refugees has been seen by both Greece and the UK, their national responses have been different. Political agendas, economic constraints, as well as rising xenophobia have contributed to that. Additionally, the mismanagement of the crisis by the European Union fuelled the nationalist rhetoric, with far-right politics exploiting the situation to create division within communities. Moreover, social services and social workers in both countries have limited resources and insufficient government support which makes the integration and welfare support of refugees more difficult. This chapter is advocating for a human rights-centred integration policy which is established with the help of the expertise of social work. This would ensure a unified approach which will improve the societal cohesion, the fair distribution of refugees and asylum seekers, as well as strengthening security across Europe. Finally, by using the experiences of Greece and the UK, this chapter explores potential lessons and insights that can be learned from other countries that are managing similar challenges. Some important takeaways that can be found useful are the balancing between security concerns and humanitarian responsibilities, fighting xenophobia, ensuring sufficient resources for integration, as well as, promoting societal awareness. This chapter’s focal point is the establishment of strategies that can transform and create a more cohesive, effective and non-discriminatory refugee policies with global implications.

Item Type:

Book Section

Identification Number (DOI):

https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003507710

Additional Information:

“This is an Accepted Manuscript of a book chapter published by Routledge in The Routledge International Handbook of Glocal Social Work on 25 August 2025, available online: https://www.routledge.com/The-Routledge-International-Handbook-of-Glocal-Social-Work/Pentaris-Walker/p/book/9781032814001. It is deposited under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way.”