18 December 2020 – After battling it out in the Labour Migration Reporting awards, eight journalists from across Africa walked away with $500 each at a colourful virtual ceremony held on International Migrants Day. The winners are expected to use the grant to contribute to the labour migration discourse through their reporting assignments over the coming year.
The awards were hosted by African Women in Media (AWiM), in partnership with the African Union Commission (AUC), International Labour Organization (ILO) and International Organization for Migration (IOM), under the Joint Labour Migration Programme (JLMP). The final selection was determined after the successful submission of entries, which saw 70 competitive entries from Africa and the diaspora making it into the final stage where the winners eventually emerged.
The winners and their categories are as follows:
- Migrants’ Rights – Charhreddine Berriah, Daily El Watan (Algeria)
- Remittance and Diaspora Contributions to Development – Abdoulaye Balbone, Burkinabe Daily State Newspaper (Burkina Faso)
- Governance of Labour Migration – Wagdy Sawahel, University World News (Africa Edition) (Egypt)
- Gender-based Migration – Rekiatu Musa Jingi, Cameroon Radio Television (Cameroon)
- Economic Impact of Migration – Abdul Aziz Hali, Mangeons Bien (Tunisia)
- Migration and Health – Judy Kabeira, Capital FM (Kenya)
- Intra-African Migration – Afeez Hanafi, Punch Newspaper (Nigeria)
- Fair recruitment, forced labour and human trafficking of migrant workers-Hoda Zakaria, Alyoum Elsabea Newspaper (Egypt)
“The media is key in influencing a positive perception of migrant workers, fostering dialogue, creating the human rights-based language, the confidence, and promoting migrant workers’ integration and inclusion in societies as in labour markets. This is the reason why our institutions have invited African media professionals to participate in this award”, said Dr Gloria Moreno Fontes, Regional Migration Specialist for Africa at the ILO.
“I would like to thank you for the award. It was not easy to tackle how migrants in Tunisia are contributing to the economic growth in the country due to negative perceptions. My story focused on the positive aspect of migration as it contributed to the economic development of the country”, said Abdel Aziz Hali, Mangeonsn Bien, Tunisia.
“I would like pass on my heartfelt congratulations to all the nine winners of our awards this year. Labour migration continues to be a major policy issue, which needs to remain on the media agenda. These awards are our way of celebrating and honouring journalists who have shown their commitment to covering labour migration in Africa”, said Dr Yemisi Akinbobola, Co-Founder and CEO, African Women in Media.
ENDS//
For more information or to see the winning entries, please visit: www.africanwomeninmedia.com
Contact: Tariro Chikumbirike, Media and Communications Officer, Tariro@africanwomeninmedia.com
About African Women in Media:
African Women in Media is a nongovernmental organisation with a vision that one day African women will have equal access to representation and opportunities in media industries and media content. Our aim is to contribute to the creation of enabling environments for African women who work in media industries, and to change the way African women are represented in media content. It does this through research, training and partnerships that impact positively the way media functions in relation to African women. Through AWiM events we create opportunities for knowledge exchange, building networks, and economic empowerment of women in media.
About the African Union
The African Union (AU) is a continental body consisting of the 55 member states that make up the countries of the African Continent. It was officially launched in 2002 as a successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU, 1963-1999). The main objectives of the OAU were to rid the continent of the remaining vestiges of colonisation and apartheid; to promote unity and solidarity amongst African States; to coordinate and intensify cooperation for development; to safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Member States and to promote international cooperation.
About International Organization for Migration
Established in 1951, the International Organization for Migration is the leading inter-governmental organization in the field of migration and works closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners. With 173 member states, a further 8 states holding observer status and offices in over 100 countries, IOM is dedicated to promoting humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all. It does so by providing services and advice to governments and migrants. IOM works to help ensure the orderly and humane management of migration, to promote international cooperation on migration issues, to assist in the search for practical solutions to migration problems and to provide humanitarian assistance to migrants in need, including refugees and internally displaced people. The IOM Constitution recognizes the link between migration and economic, social and cultural development, as well as to the right of freedom of movement.
About the International Labour Organization
The International Labour Organization was founded in 1919, in the wake of a destructive war, to pursue a vision based on the premise that universal, lasting peace can be established only if it is based on social justice. The ILO became the first specialized agency of the UN in 1946.
About the Joint Labour Migration Programme
The African Union Commission (AUC)-International Labour Organization (ILO)-International Organization for Migration (IOM)-Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) Joint Programme on Labour Migration Governance for Development and Integration (better known as the Joint Labour Migration Programme (JLMP) in Africa is a long-term joint undertaking between the four organizations, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to implement the 5th Key Priority Area of the Declaration and Plan of Action on Employment, Poverty Eradication and Inclusive Development adopted by the Assembly of Heads of States and Governments (AU/Assembly/AU/20(XXIV)/Annex 3, January 2015) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in January 2015. Its strategy focuses on intra-African labour migration and supports achievement of the First 2023 Ten Year Plan of the AU’s Agenda 2063 and of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
