A Qualitative Approach to Refugee Law and International Migrant Legislation: The Life Stories of Venezuelan Emigrants

Abstract

This research studies the Venezuelan emigrants’ case in order to contest refugee law and international migrant legislation. Fragments-of-life-stories & semi-structured interviews were used as bottom-up approach, and document research including NGO reports was conducted from a top-down perspective, aiming to provide a cohesive, comprehensive and coherent image of what it means to be a Venezuelan emigrant in the last eighteen years. Using a top-down approach for document research desk-study; made possible to overview Venezuela´s country situation within the institutional framework of NGOs; while by utilizing fragment-of-life-stories and semi-structured interviews, thematic axes were interpreted from the subjective experiences of the interviewees. These two approaches resulted in complementary results to understand the case. As part of the work ethic, the study was centered into the voice of two ignored populations, such as it is with the local NGOs in a country were 90% of the public media is government controlled; and emigrants testimonies, who are seldom considered when it comes to the drafting and approval of international migrant legislation. The results obtained question several practices and approaches traditionally assumed in refugee law and international migrant legislation, moreover considering the specific context conditions and the subjective experiences reflected upon.