IOM Gambia Lectures Journalists On Migration Terminologies
Journalists International Forum For Migration, JIFORM, has released a report on an important session delivered by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Gambia tagged migration terms and concept aimed at guiding the reportage of migration matters at the 2020 edition of its annual summit held on October 15 and 16, 2020 in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria.
The event chaired by Professor Patrick Lumumba from Kenya and accommodated virtual presentations was attended by over 140 participants from countries like Germany, USA, Lebanon, Ghana, Zambia, Canada, England, Saudi Arabia, Romania, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Gambia, Togo, France,India, Nigeria and others.
A statement issued by the President JIFORM a body with over 250 journalists spread across the world covering migration, Mr Ajibola Abayomi said the presentation by Awa Loum Jagne, an official of IOM Gambia was the reality that journalists especially in Africa must educate themselves on reporting issues about migrants.
“We as media practitioners must brace up to the reality of what we don’t know in details and accept to learn new things. What many of us summarily call illegal migration or migrants has to change. The media must re-frame from worsening or blaming migrants with a predetermined mind.”
Ajibola who described IOM Gambia as a committed body chorusing orderly, save and regular migration said JIFORM would continue to reach to the agency and others for good humanity.
While JIFORM is gearing to produce a detail compendium on migration terminologies for migration journalists across the globe that would be unveiled in Ghana by January 21 and 22, 2021, Ajibola said the IOM presentation was indeed an eye opener on definition of migrants and categories of people classified as refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs).
“IOM Gambia reinforced the fact that according to Article 13 of United Nations (UN) Declaration on Human Rights:
• Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state.
• Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country. Migration: 21st Century Trend •
“There are 1.012 billion migrants in the world in 2019 • 740 million are internal migrants (2009) • 272 million are international migrants (2019) • Equates to 3.5 per cent of the global population Migration” according Ajibola, all these all journalists covering migration must be familiar with.
