Constructing the child as refugee: Visual representations of refugee children in digital news media

Abstract

This paper examines the visual representation of the refugee child in digital news media in Cyprus at two historical moments of significant immigration rise in Europe as a result of violent conflict: the period of May 2015-2016 and February 2022-2023. The analysis showed that refugee children were portrayed in ways which led to their de/humanization. However, differences in the language, themes, and visual grammar applied gave way to the emergence of a hierarchy of refugee child subjects.

Resilience, mental health, and exposure to violence among individuals with former or current experiences of being a refugee in Sweden : quantitative and qualitative studies

“…The findings in this thesis are at odds with the image that both the mainstream media and sometimes the political debate give us of refugee children (Fryberg et al, 2012;Theodorou, 2024). What we have found is that the children want to get on with their lives, receive a good education, integrate as much as possible, and also give back to society.…”