Taking Care of Forced Migrants Together: Strengths and Weaknesses of Interorganizational Work from the Perspective of Social Workers

Leo, Amalia De; D’Adamo, Giulia; Morozzi, Carlotta; Gozzoli, Caterina

doi:10.3390/ijerph20021371

Cited by 7 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 44 publications

(51 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In other words, hate speech in its contemporary manifestation cannot disregard an onlife approach. In order to do so, it is necessary for practitioners and organizations to network and for there to be recognition and sharing of expertise, and for institutions to be involved throughout the process (De Leo et al, 2023).…”

Section: Practical Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Define and Tackle Hate Speech: The Experience of Social Workers in Italy

Leo

Russo²

2023

InformingSciJ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Aim/Purpose: The aim of this qualitative study is to explore social workers’ representations of hate speech (HS), the effects it has on the community, and socio-educational actions aimed at combating it. Background: Hate speech is any form of communication that promotes discrimination, hostility, or violence towards individuals or groups based on their identity. Although its spread is facilitated by particular characteristics of the online environment (such as anonymity and ubiquity), HS has pervasive consequences even in offline reality. In the last year, several community-based projects involving social workers have been implemented to address the problem. Professionals who work with the community play a crucial strategic role in the fight against HS. Therefore, it is imperative to begin by considering their perspective to gain a better understanding of HS and how it can be controlled. Methodology: Following a psycho-sociological perspective, six focus groups were conducted with 42 social workers (19 females and 23 males) belonging to associations or organizations of a different nature, such as NGOs, local social promotion organizations, universities, private social organizations, whose mission included the theme of countering hate speech. Contribution: There are no studies in the literature that consider the views of operators working to counter hate speech within communities. Our study contributes to deepening the knowledge of the phenomenon and identifying the most suitable strategies to combat it, starting from an approach that does not only focus on the online or offline dimension but on an integrated “onlife” approach. The study offers an outline of how hate speech affects the daily lives of the communities in the cities of Torino, Palermo, and Ancona. Additionally, it proposes a grassroots strategy to address hate speech. Findings: The results suggest that strategies effective in countering hate speech in offline contexts may not be effective in online environments. The technological revolution brought about by social media has significantly expanded the potential audience while weakening traditional communities. Addressing hate speech in the present context requires efforts to rebuild fragmented communities, gaining a thorough understanding of how the new virtual public space operates, and prioritizing hate speech as a specific concern only after these initial steps. Recommendation for Researchers: Hate speech represents a violation of human rights and a threat to freedom of expression. The spread of hateful messages has a significant impact on society, as it can negatively influence social cohesion, diversity, and inclusion. Understanding the causes and consequences of hate speech can help develop effective strategies to prevent and counter it, which is a crucial challenge for both research and society as a whole. Studying hate speech should involve the use of interdisciplinary methodologies. Future Research: Future research should focus on comparative analysis at the European Union level to assess the ability of civil society in other countries to develop effective strategies against hate speech.

show abstract

Section: Practical Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Define and Tackle Hate Speech: The Experience of Social Workers in Italy

Leo

Russo²

2023

InformingSciJ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Social, organizational, group, and individual elements contribute to the complex functioning of migration services and to the experience lived by operators [8].…”

Section: Of 12mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Emotion Regulation as a Potential Mediator between Secondary Traumatic Stress, Burnout, and Compassion Satisfaction in Professionals Working in the Forced Migration Field

Tessitore

Caffieri

Parola

et al. 2023

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Professionals working with refugees are vicariously exposed to complex traumatic experiences lived by forced migrants, which can lead to the risk of developing secondary traumatic stress, burnout, and a poor compassion satisfaction. The current study aimed to explore the effects of secondary traumatic stress on burnout and compassion satisfaction in 264 Italian professionals working with refugees and forced migrants. Moreover, it examined the mediating role of emotion regulation between secondary traumatic stress and both burnout and compassion satisfaction. Methods: A structural equation modeling (SEM) was performed to test the hypothesis. Results: The results showed that increased levels of secondary traumatic stress were associated with an increase of burnout both directly and indirectly through the mediation of emotion regulation. Emotion regulation also totally mediated the relationship between secondary traumatic stress and compassion satisfaction. Conclusions: The results suggested that prevention or interventions programs targeting emotion regulation might be important to improve the professional quality of life of operators working with refugees and forced migrants.

show abstract