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For Immediate Release
Lagos, Nigeria, 02 November 2020 – African Women in Media (AWiM), in partnership with the African Union Commission (AUC), International Labour Migration (ILO) and International Organization for Migration (IOM), under the Joint Labour Migration Programme (JLMP), have launched the Labour Migration Media Awards on 2nd November 2020. With labour migration becoming an increasingly important policy issue, the awards aim to celebrate and honour African journalists covering labour migration in Africa. It is envisaged that the project will culminate in the establishment of a community of practice of journalists.
“Labour and migration are key issues in Africa’s development, and it is important to recognise the role played by journalists who are committed to reporting on labour migration.” said Dr Yemisi Akinbobola, cofounder and CEO, African Women in Media. “To build the capacity of more women journalists in reporting labour migration in Africa, we will also be launching our Labour Migration Reporting Training Programme, consisting of five courses.”
Two hundred (200) African women journalists from across the continent and the diaspora, will be selected to participate on the programme, which includes online training as well as live mentoring with the five trainers.
The media awards and training programme come on the backdrop of a significant increase in migration flows leading to forced labour, child labour, sexual abuse and labour exploitation being perpetuated on migrants. International migration in Africa in 2017 comprised of 25.4 million migrants with 14.4 million migrant workers. Labour migration and migration for humanitarian reasons are some of the features evident in the African context. Also evident is that migration continues to be a complex and dynamic phenomenon, but with vital roles on socio-economic development of the continent if well managed. Some of these benefits include contributing to increased GDP, filling the labour force and vital skills gaps in countries of destination, while at the same time increasing the volume of remittances in countries of origin.
“The Joint Labour Migration Program (JLMP), stresses the crucial role of communication, information, and advocacy in advancing the improvement of labour migration governance on the continent. To this effect, a JLMP communication strategy was developed and one of the intentions is to set up a network of media professionals on labour migration. African Women in Media (AWiM) will be part and parcel of the network, in particular to promote and protect the rights of female migrant workers”, said JLMP Coordinator, Mr. Oumar Diop.
African journalists are invited to submit works that were published January 2019 – 20 November 2020, to a maximum of two of the nine award categories:
Winners for each category will receive $500 each, and will be announced at AWiM2020 Virtual Conference on 7 December 2020.
For more information and how to enter the Labour Migration Media Awards, visit: https://bit.ly/lmr2020
For More Information 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. AWiM 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 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 International Labour Organization
The International Labour Organisation 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 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).
