Mexico City – The International Organization for Migration (IOM), earlier this month, launched the Connecting Communities information campaign which, through the distribution of videos, infographics and fact sheets, will assist Venezuelan refugees and migrants with their integration and regularization in Mexico.  

The campaign arises from the findings produced during the implementation of the Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) applied in the last quarter of 2018, which revealed the need for information on accessing education, health, employment and human rights. It also provides tools for the prevention of human trafficking, protection against fraud and exercising rights in the face of possible discrimination. 

The DTM study also indicated that among the people surveyed, 99 per cent are interested in integrating socially and economically into Mexico. Additionally, among the main factors that motivated their mobility were family reunification and obtaining employment. 

According to Yolice Quero, coordinator of the campaign, “The Venezuelan refugee and migrant population wants to integrate and make Mexico its final destination. We want to provide valid data that allows the exercise of their rights and minimizes negative dynamics that may arise due to misinformation between groups with varying degrees of vulnerability.” 

Working under a strategy based on social networks, Connecting Communities seeks to reach groups organized via Facebook and WhatsApp, where the target cohort coexist daily, bringing together hundreds of refugees and migrants seeking guidance on the best options to migrate. It has worked with various associations and groups of Venezuelans in Mexico who support the dissemination of campaign messages to generate greater outreach. 

The initiative hopes to reach 50,000 Venezuelans who are active and exchange migratory information through social networks. Together with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, a strategy will be coordinated to amplify the impact of the messages, using the digital platform “El Jaguar”. 

Among the topics that the campaign will disseminate are the documentation needed to work in Mexico, how to access basic services such as health, education, revalidation of university degrees, and how to avoid falling into trafficking networks, among others. 

This campaign is an effort made within the framework of the Refugees and Migrants Response Plan (RMRP) whose purpose is to provide assistance to this migratory flow throughout the region, and is financially supported by the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration of the Department of State of the United States (PRM). 

For more information please contact Yolice Quero at IOM Mexico, Email: yquero@iom.int or Tel. + 52 55 5536 39 22 Ext. 116 and 118. Or IOM Mexico’s Communications & Media unit at Email: iommexicocomunica@iom.int or Tel. + 52 55 5536 39 22 Ext. 119.