Winners and finalists of the 2024 global media competition on labour migration

The competition aims to promote quality reporting on labour migration issues including forced labour, as balanced and ethical reporting play an important role in addressing stereotypes and misconceptions, as well as highlighting the positive contribution migrant workers make in their origin and destination countries. This year also marks the 10th anniversary of Protocol to the Convention 29 on Forced Labour. Labour migration continues to be linked to forced labour and human exploitation across various sectors and borders. Therefore, the ILO wanted to showcase a remarkable investigation on that topic by rewarding an additional media piece.

The ILO received more than 430 entries from 92 countries. An independent panel of four judges reviewed the entries based on the criteria of creativity, accuracy and balance, protection of migrants and positive portrayal of labour migration.

After a rigorous review process, prizes have been awarded to the following winners:

Winners

Professional category

• Investigation from inside the camps of torture of Moroccans in Myanmar: “Hell Valley”, by Salma Chatt, published in Voice of Morocco (24 May 2024)
• Business of poverty: How Ukrainian refugees are being exploited throughout the EU, by Kristina Vejnbender, Olivia Samnick, Miglè Krancevičiūtė, Mariya Merkusheva, published in International Women’s media Foundation (29 July 2024)
• Commune rurale de Boussouma : la diaspora trace les sillons du développement, by Balboné Abdoulaye, published in Sidwaya (28 October 2024)

Special prize on forced labour

• Harrowing tales of survivors trapped in the web of trafficking, by Babatunde Titilola, published in Punch (14 July 2024)

Student category

• “How are we going to escape?”: Behind the Glitz and Glamour of Australia's Work and Holiday Visa, by Lily Kristanto, published in ABC News (12 October 2024)

Finalists

In addition to the prize-winners above, the panel of judges and the ILO would also like to recognize the following pieces which were considered finalists in the competition:

• Every day I cry’: 50 women talk about life as a domestic worker under the Gulf’s kafala system, by Katie McQue, published in The guardian, (24 April 2024)
• ‘I Scammed So I Could Live’: Inside the Story of South Asians Trafficked and Enslaved in Asia’s Booming Scam Compounds, by Rukshana Rizwie, published in DataLeads, (29 July 2024)
• Desarraigadas, by Elena Ortuño Vidal, Sara Trabazos Sieiro, Eva Criado Gómez, María Ibáñez Marchal, published in La Voz de Almería (12 October 2024)
• Migrant workers exploited, abused in Italy’s prized fine wine vineyards, by Ottavia Spaggiari, published in AlJazeera (19 March 2024)
• The Young Nigerians Caught in the Gold Rush Financing Terrorism in the Sahel, by Abiodun Jamiu, published in HumAngle Media (2 October 2024)
• Mujeres migrantes venezolanas en Colombia enfrentan retos en el acceso a empleos de calidad, by Omarela Depablos Padrino, published in Crónica Uno (8 March 2024)
• Incentive Labor Documentary Film, by Kamoso Jean Bertrand, published on Vimeo
• South Korea desperately needs more care workers – but low-paid migrants are not the answer, by Seulki Lee, published in Equal Times (29 October 2024)
• Cómo un grupo de camioneros rumanos acabó ayudando a toda su diáspora en España, Italia y Alemania, by Lola García-Ajofrín, Sebastian Pricop, published in El Confidencial (29 June 2024)
• Over a decade of negleted rights, by Myagmarjargal Dashdorj, Enkhbayar Zorigtbaatar and Ichinkhorloo Arivsan , published on Unuudur (28 October 2024)

Disclaimer

The ILO recognizes the quality of the competition entries submitted. However, the responsibility for opinions expressed and names and terms used in the competition entries rests solely with their authors, and reproduction of the entries does not constitute an endorsement by the ILO of the opinions expressed and names and terms used in them.