By César Castilla
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, nations across South America, including Peru and Ecuador, grappled with unparalleled challenges in regulating the influx of Venezuelan migrants amid a backdrop of health emergencies and economic turmoil. Concurrently, the imposition of stringent migration security measures has been observed. The following reflection explores the challenges of research ethics in an environment that exacerbates the marginalization of migrants, especially when they are framed as security threats.
From the start of the previous decade, Venezuela has grappled with a socio-political and economic crisis, prompting 7,722,579 Venezuelan refugees and migrants to depart from their homeland. The exodus from Venezuela posed a significant challenge for South American nations during the period of 2015 to 2019. Peru and Ecuador were two of the countries who faced an unparalleled influx of Venezuelan migrants. The concerted efforts of multilateral initiatives, such as the Proceso de Quito (September 2018), were aimed at adopting migration policies to manage the significant migration of Venezuelans in a safe and orderly manner. Furthermore, the efforts of the Andean Community of Nations (CAN), along with the involvement of international organisations (IOM & UNHCR) and NGOs, sought to facilitate the resettlement of Venezuelan migrants in various cities. Notwithstanding, in 2018, the governments of Peru and Ecuador resorted to the most straightforward solution, which was to prioritise the security aspect of immigration. Thus, they capitalised on the prevailing discourse, fuelled by the media, which found ready acceptance among the host society, particularly in light of the rising crime rates attributed to foreigners in these countries since 2019.
With the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, the situation worsened. The free movement of people across land was blocked, air transportation was limited, and borders were closed, forcing Venezuelans to pay exorbitant fees and even risk their lives at illegal border crossings.[1] The imposition of stringent migration security measures extremely affected Venezuelans who were in Ecuador or Peru, or who intended to move to neighbouring states. On this occasion, the discourse indiscriminately targeted Venezuelans. Shaped not only by media portrayal, but often exacerbated by biased studies and reports related to the host society’s perception of Venezuelan migrants. This narrative cast Venezuelan refugees and migrants in the light of potential criminals, subjecting many to xenophobic treatment. As a consequence, the precariousness, and vulnerability of Venezuelan immigrants in these two nations intensified markedly during that period. Those seeking international protection and aspiring to begin anew in either country found their hopes abruptly dashed, particularly around and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In light of this situation, first, it becomes crucial that both academic and non-academic researchers re-evaluate the ethical challenges inherent in research contexts that exacerbate the marginalization of immigrants. Ethical practice and methodological validity are intertwined. This means that researchers can conduct rigorous and valuable research while also respecting the rights and well-being of marginalized immigrant communities. Researchers should give careful consideration to ethical matters, especially when working alongside vulnerable refugees and migrants. According to Christina Clark-Kazak, researchers should consider the ethical implications of all research, as such information could risk individuals’ residency, migratory status, and lawful citizenship, affecting them, their families, and wider social circles.[2]
Second, researchers need to establish a consensus regarding the essential adoption of ethical guidelines. After the experiences faced by Venezuelan refugees and migrants before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic in Peru and Ecuador, researchers from Academia, NGOs, and public institutions working in human mobility must adopt national ethics guidelines to ensure they address the specific needs of immigrants. It is quite likely that research ethics in the Global South are not adequately focused on creating a framework specifically tailored to the ethical considerations for research involving immigrants.
Third, researchers must consider the research scope. All research inherently possesses limitations. During the dissemination of research findings, both the scope and the limitations must be clearly articulated to ensure that results related to a specific aspect of the migrant population are not generalised without due consideration of the research’s constraints. By doing so, we respect the rights and dignity of immigrant participants and contribute to knowledge that can help reduce their marginalization.
Ultimately, following the COVID-19 pandemic and the securitisation of migration in the Global South, a new dimension must be introduced to the research ethics discourse. This dimension delves into the ethical dilemmas arising from the juxtaposition of national security concerns with the rights of migrants in the middle of a pandemic. Specifically, it should examine the repercussions when governments prioritise a state-centric security strategy over one centred on human security. The field of research ethics must be diligently nurtured to protect the rights of refugees and migrants.
[1] César Castilla & Sami Sánchez, (2023), Securitización migratoria de la diáspora venezolana antes y durante la pandemia covid-19 en Ecuador y Perú. Temas Sociales, (53), 53-88. Epub 30 de noviembre de 2023. https://doi.org/10.53287/kyhv9351im30u.
[2] Christina Clark-Kazak, (2021), Ethics in Forced Migration Research: Taking Stock and Potential Ways Forward. Journal on Migration and Human Security, 9(3), 125-138. https://doi.org/10.1177/23315024211034401.
Author bio:
Researcher on Human Mobility and Cultural Integration, Independent Scholar at Centre for Refugee Studies, York University