ILO and Kuwait News Agency host journalism training workshop to strengthen reporting on labour migration

Beirut (ILO News) The ILO and the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) are collaborating on a three-day training programme for local journalists on rights-based and gender-sensitive reporting on labour migration in Kuwait.

Participants will include Editors-in-Chief and journalists from print, radio, TV and online media outlets across Kuwait.

The media are instrumental in shaping public perceptions about labour migration, which can in turn influence policy and practice. Public views on migration are important as they can have a substantial impact upon the treatment of migrant workers. For example, global experience demonstrates that negative attitudes can contribute to an environment in which discrimination and abuse of migrant workers are considered acceptable.

It is therefore critically important that the understanding of migration within the public sphere is informed by valid evidence and balanced perspectives. Within the Arab States region, journalists and editors identified a lack of specialized training and access to migration data and experts as a key barrier towards comprehensive and accurate reporting on the topic. Often unwittingly, the media can perpetuate negative stereotypes about labour migrants, increasing their vulnerability to discrimination and abuse.

The workshop – to take place at the KUNA Training Centre – will include sessions on international labour standards, decent work for migrant workers and labour migration in Kuwait; and key principles for ethical reporting on migration. A panel discussion with civil society organizations and migrant community groups will take place, and participants will take part in thematic workshops to storyboard, pitch and develop labour migration stories.

This workshop is coordinated by the ILO Regional Fair Migration Project in the Middle East (FAIRWAY), with support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). The FAIRWAY project works to promote fair migration (including fair recruitment) and the elimination of forced labour and trafficking for labour exploitation. To address discriminatory attitudes and actions towards migrant workers, the project works to sensitize the public on the rights of migrant workers, potential issues of abuse and fair migration solutions through partnerships with the media.

The Kuwait News Agency works with international development and human rights organizations on a number of issues including expatriate labour issues. The agency believes that journalists have an important role to play in strengthening Kuwait's international standing and conveying an accurate picture of the employment situation in Kuwait, and that journalists can also act as important go-betweens who can link expatriate issues to the officials who can resolve them.