What Does Xenophobia Mean?

The word xenophobia It comes from the Greek xénos which means foreigner and phóbos which means fear, therefore it refers to hatred, hostility, suspicion and rejection of foreign people.

This also consists of the phobia towards people with different social, cultural, political or racial physiognomy and discrimination towards different ethnic groups.

The United Nations General Assembly on December 21, 1965, approved the International Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination, which defines the xenophobia What:

“Any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on reasons of race, color, lineage or national or ethnic origin that has the object or result of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, under conditions of equality, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural spheres or in any other sphere of the public life".

According to ancient Psychology, the fear of the unknown and the rejection of what is different is the origin of the

xenophobia, which is currently the tendency that some people or groups have to overvalue their culture, ethnic group and their traditions over those of others, rejecting what is not known or familiar to them and considering it threatening.

This manifests itself from fear of the stranger, to physical aggression and murder, which is why in many states of the world it xenophobia a crime has been declared, so depending on what the law of each place indicates is the type of penalty that It can be given to those who have this type of discriminatory practices with any person, race or group Social.