CSOnetMADE holds a Two-Day Round Table Forum with selected Journalists to review ethical guidelines on migration reportage

 

By Akpokona Omafuaire

WARRI - THE Civil Society Network on Migration and Development, Nigeria (CSOnetMADE) is set to hold a two day round table forum with Media agencies to review and validate ethical guidelines on migration reportage starting on Tuesday at the Federal Catital Teritory, Abuja.

This was contained in invitation sent to our Correspondent by Osato Mary Igbinosun  Programme Officer & Administrative Assistant in Warri.

CSOnetMADE is involved in helping civil societies build and strengthen the work of people-centered, rights-based movement on migration and development.

CSOnetMADE has been organizing capacity building for Mefia agencies with the support of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) within the framework
of the European Union (EU) and IOM initiative on Migration Governance and Reintegration in Nigeria funded by the EU.

Igbinosun said tht the purpose of this round table discourse is to review and validate the ethical guideline generated during the capacity building events for media professionals on proper reportage of migration issues in the three geo�political zones namely, South-south; South-east and Northwest.

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Promoting Migrant-Inclusive Data to Help Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals

By Janet Spencer

Berlin – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is launching a new guide to help practitioners disaggregate data related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by migratory status, to address the needs of migrants and highlight their contributions to sustainable development. 

To date, disaggregation of global development data by migratory status remains low. Migrants are largely invisible in official SDG data. As the global community approaches 2030, very little is known about the impact of the 2030 Agenda on migrants. Despite a growing focus worldwide on data disaggregation, namely the breaking down of data into smaller sub-categories, there is a lack of practical guidance on the topic that can be tailored to address individual needs and capacities of countries.  

Developed by IOM’s Global Migration Data Analysis Centre (GMDAC), the guide titled ‘Leave No Migrant Behind: The 2030 Agenda and Data Disaggregation’ centres on nine SDGs focusing on hunger, education, and gender equality among others. The document is the first of its kind, in that it seeks to address a range of different categorization interests and needs related to international migrants and suggests practical steps that practitioners can tailor to best fit their context. 

“Thanks to the support from Statistics Sweden, GMDAC launched on 14 April a new guide on how to disaggregate SDG indicators across topics such as poverty and health by migratory status,” said Frank Laczko, IOM GMDAC Director. 

“Inclusive data is critical to ensure migrants are not left behind in achieving the SDGs.”  

The guide also highlights the key role disaggregation plays in understanding the many positive links between migration and the SDGs, highlighting migrants’ contributions to the 2030 Agenda. 

The guide outlines key steps for actors to plan and implement initiatives by looking at sex, gender, age and disability, in addition to migratory status. These steps include undertaking awareness raising, identifying priority indicators, conducting data mapping, and more.  

“We believe that being able to shed light on the situation of vulnerable groups, such as migrants, in the 2030 Agenda is essential to ensure inclusive development,” said Cathy Krüger, project manager at Statistics Sweden. “We were very happy to support IOM in this work because of their broad and on-the-ground experience in the field. We hope the guide will help countries make progress in following migrants in the Agenda, and also act as a good example for other vulnerable groups.” 

COVID-19 has laid bare deepening inequalities around the world, reminding us how important it is for policy to be inclusive for all populations and communities, including many migrants who, in many settings, have faced heightened risks and negative impacts related to the pandemic. To leave no one behind, migrants must be considered across efforts to achieve the SDGs, and this begins with disaggregated data. 

NUJ Delta Welcomes National Executive Council Members To NEC Meeting In Asaba

By Akpokona Omafuaire 

The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Delta State Council welcomes members of the NUJ National Executive Council to a meeting in Asaba, Delta State.

This was revealed in a statement signed Comrade Michael Ikeogwu, Chairman, and Comrade Patrick Ochei, Secretary, NUJ Delta State Council.

The statement read in part, "We sincerely welcome our National President, Comrade Chief Chris Isiguzo, the National Secretary, Comrade Shuaibu Usman Leman, other members of the National Working Committee, Zonal leaders and Chairmen and Secretaries of State Councils to savour the rich hospitality and love of Delta and her people.

"On this note, we appreciate His Excellency, Senator Dr Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa, Governor of Delta State and the Government of Delta State for deeming it necessary to approve for the NEC meeting to hold in the State. We say may God richly bless him and strengthen the Government-Media relationship.

"However, we call on the good people of Delta to join us to welcome the leaders of the Fourth Estate of the Realm in Nigeria, and accord them the warmest of regards they could ever get from Delta." It added.

It is our prayer that God in His infinite mercies will grant every NEC member and observers the grace of safety and journey mercies to and from Delta.

Netherlands and IOM Launch Global Migration Initiative to Protect People on the Move

By Janet Spencer

The Hague – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands launched the Cooperation on Migration and Partnerships for Sustainable Solutions initiative (COMPASS) at the beginning of 2021. COMPASS is a global initiative, in partnership with 12 countries, designed to protect people on the move, combat human trafficking and smuggling, and support dignified return while promoting sustainable reintegration.

The initiative is centred on a whole-of-society approach which, in addition to assisting individuals, will work across all levels – households, communities, and the wider communities – and encompasses the following partner countries: Afghanistan, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, and Tunisia.

“We want to mobilize families, peers and communities to encourage informed and safe migration decisions, protect migrants, and help those returning home reintegrate successfully,” said Monica Goracci, Director of the Department of Migration Management at IOM.  

“One key component is also undermining the trafficking and smuggling business models through the promotion of safe alternatives and information sharing to reduce the risks of exploitation and abuse by these criminal networks.” Vulnerable migrants, including victims of trafficking and unaccompanied or separated children, will have access to a broad range of protection and assistance services such as mental health and psychosocial support, while migrants in transit who wish to return home will be supported with dignified return and reintegration.

Community level interventions will focus on improving community-led efforts to address trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants, and support sustainable reintegration of returning migrants. COMPASS will work with national and local governments to enable a conducive environment for migrant protection, migration management and international cooperation on these issues.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is pleased to launch the COMPASS programme in cooperation with IOM, an important and longstanding partner on migration cooperation,” said Marriët Schuurman, Director for Stability and Humanitarian Aid of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands.

“The programme is a part of the Dutch comprehensive approach to migration with activities that contribute to protection and decreasing irregular migration. Research and data gathering are also important components, and we hope that the insights that will be gained under COMPASS will contribute to broader knowledge sharing on migration and better-informed migration policies.”, added Schuurman. The initiative has a strong learning component, designed to increase knowledge and the uptake of lessons learned, both within the programme and beyond its parameters. COMPASS will actively contribute to global knowledge that supports countries in managing migration flows and protecting vulnerable migrants such as victims of trafficking. The implementation of COMPASS is set to start soon.

FG, other stakeholders urged to pay attention to increasing migration trend

 

By Akpokona Omafuaire

WARRI - THE Nigerian government and relevant stakeholders have been called upon to pay keen attention to the issues of migration, as effects of demographic forces, globalization and environmental degradstion will lead to increase migration pressures across borders.

This call was made by Osita Osemene, Program Director,  Patriotic Citizens Initiatives during a capacity training organized by CSOnetMADE with the support of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) for journalists in Benin City.

Osita who handled the training alongside Dr. Emeka Obiezu, stressed that the call has become necessary since over half population of the world is on the move either within or across borders.

He urged media agencies to stop criminalizing migrants as migration has always been part of human life.

Osita stated that some few persons owing to issues of militarization and strict border policies,  high cost of national passports, Visa restrictions have resorted to irregular migration leading to a lot of challenges.

He also cited unemployment, absence of basic amenities and poor services,  lack of safety, poverty,  political instability and drought as some of the push factors leading to the increasing rate of migration.

Quoting from IMO 2021 reports,  Osita revealed that a total of 17,115 migrants have been successfully returned to Nigeria with Edo and Delta States topping the list, with 39 percent and 13 percent.

The Migration expert said that the way forward is to "create better conditions for leveraging migration by perceiving it as an opportunity to be grasped and not as a problem.

"Find adequate solutions to migration problems by establishing with the support of Europe that hosts most of the migrants, funds to create jobs for youths.

"Strengthen protection of migrants and combat threats such as Xenophobiaor racist attacks in countries of destination.

Osita maintained that the highest migration in Africa has been intra continent with 90 percent of West African migration within the region because of ease of access.

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IOM helps 160 Ethiopian migrants home

 By Akpokona Omafuaire

THE International Organization for Migration (IOM), yesterday said that it has assisted about 160 Ethiopian migrants have returned home safely from Yemen a day after a perilous journey across the Gulf of Aden claimed the lives of dozens of people including at least 16 children.

Jeffrey Labovitz, IOM’s Director for Operations and Emergencies made the claim yesterday to Vanguard.

He said more than 32,000 migrants, predominantly from Ethiopia, remain stranded across Yemen in dire, often deadly, circumstances.

“The conditions of migrants stranded in Yemen has become so tragic that many feel they have no option but to rely on smugglers to return home,” he said.

He added that at least 42 people returning from Yemen are believed to have died on Monday when their vessel sank off the coast of Djibouti.

That last month, at least 20 people had also drowned on the same route according to survivors. IOM believes that, since May 2020, over 11,000 migrants have returned to the Horn of Africa on dangerous boat journeys, aided by unscrupulous smugglers.

“Our Voluntary Humanitarian Return (VHR) programme provides a lifeline for those stranded in a country now experiencing its seventh year of conflict and crisis. We call on all governments along the route to come together and support our efforts to allow migrants safe and dignified opportunities to travel home,” added Labovitz.

He maintained that COVID-19 has had a major impact on global migration. Stressing that the route from the Horn of Africa to Gulf countries has been particularly affected. "Tens of thousands of migrants, hoping to work in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), now find themselves unable to complete their journeys, stranded across Djibouti, Somalia and Yemen.

"While the pandemic has also caused the number of migrants arriving to Yemen to decrease from 138,000 in 2019 to just over 37,500 in 2020, the risks they face continue to rise. Many of these migrants are stranded in precarious situations, sleeping rough without shelter or access to services. Many others are in detention or being held by smugglers.

“We cannot find jobs or food here; Yemen is a problem for us,” said Gamal, a 22-year-old migrant returning on the VHR flight. “I used to sleep in the street on cardboard. I could only eat because of the charity people would give me and sometimes we were given leftovers from restaurants. I never had much to eat.”

"Since October 2020, in Aden alone, IOM has registered over 6,000 migrants who need support to safely return home. Today’s flight to Addis Ababa was the second transporting an initial group of 1,100 Ethiopians who have been approved for VHR to Ethiopia. Thousands of other undocumented migrants are waiting for their nationality to be verified and travel documents to be provided.

"Prior to departure on the VHR flight, IOM carried out medical and protection screenings to ensure that returnees are fit to travel and are voluntarily consenting to return. Those with special needs are identified and receive specialized counselling and support.

"In Ethiopia, IOM supports government-run COVID-19 quarantine facilities to accommodate the returnees on arrival and provides cash assistance, essential items and onward transportation to their homes. The Organization also supports family tracing for unaccompanied migrant children.

"Across the Horn of Africa and Yemen, IOM provides life-saving support to migrants through health care, food, water and other vital assistance. 

"Today’s flight was funded by the US State Department's Bureau for Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM). Post-arrival assistance in Addis Ababa is supported by EU Humanitarian Aid and PRM."  He said.

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Stop criminalizing migrants, Bashir urges media outfits

WARRI – THE Federal Commissioner, National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, NCRMI, Bashir Garba Muhammed has faulted media agents  for criminalising migrants.

Basher made the observation in Benin City at a capacity building workshop for media agencies on migration reportage for selected journalists from South South.

The commissioner represented by the South-South Coordinator of NCRMI, Mr Innocent Efoghe said that “the quantum of media coverage of migration tend to be negative, criminalising migrants by linking asylum seekers, refugees and migrants with security, social, economic and cultural trends.”

The workshop was meant to broaden the knowledge of Nigerian media agencies on migration in framing migration reports to positively influence and impact migration policies and implementations.

He advocated a balanced reportage that would also showcase the positive side of migration.

According to him, “Migration is on the increase, with significant impact on countries of origin and destination countries and individual persons on the move.

“The analysis of media representation is critical to understand the responsibilities and consequences of cross-border mobility, resettlement and protection.

“Media help to show public perception of migrants, as well as ensure migrants have equal access to migration,” he added.

He said that the capacity building workshop was targeted at ensuring that Nigeria media have a better understanding of migration trends, dynamics and use of migration terminologies correctly in their reportage, expressing optimism that it would serve to strengthen the capacity of journalists to design more strategies on migration reportage.

The commissioner also urged journalists to speak for migrants always and educate Nigerian youths and the general public on the dangers of irregular migration.

The Project Officer, Migration Data and Policy, International Organisation for Migration (IOM), Dr. Ogun Adebanke who represented the Chief of Mission, IOM, Nigeria, Mr Frantz Celestine said that the agenda setting role of the media make them very important in migration management.

While urging the media to balance their reports without endangering the lives of migrants who also have rights like other members of the society, the National Coordinator of CSOnetMADE, Emeka Xris Obiezu said that media perception can shapen migrants fear and make them have hope in the society.
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