Journalists to raise awareness on human trafficking
Journalists are being empowered to correct misinformation and the deliberate fabrication of facts to fight human trafficking and modern-day slavery. A story by our journalist member of « Les Panafricaines » Afolasade Osigwe.
A journalist, Theophilus Abbah, at a programme on migration reporting organised by the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism in Lagos told over 20 journalists who attended the programme that they should ensure people have the right information and relevant knowledge to make informed choices.
Dr Abbah explained that there were many issues around migration which journalists need to unravel to ultimately lead to a reduction in the number of victims of human traffickers and xenophobic attacks.
He added that better treatment of migration would stimulate better policies and also pressurize stakeholders to play their roles effectively.
A sociologist, Dr Franca Attoh said migration was as old as the human race and cannot be wished away, but recommended good governance as a solution to problems associated with it.
Dr Attoh argued that if the needs of the people were met in their home country, migration would be minimized.
She said that this had brought more discontents to both the countries of origin and destination and lack of fulfilment on the part of the migrants.
The Associate Professor at the University of Lagos said the media should use graphics, cartoons, photographs, drama and documentaries to pass across messages on migration in addition to their reports, because the youths would prefer an entertaining material, to reading texts.
