International Organization for Migration Special Liaison Office (IOM-SLO) and the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MOLSA) organised a two day media workshop on irregular migration on 26 to 27 April 2014. The workshop informed the media on emerging trends of irregular migration; effective strategies for covering migration related news contents, and the adverse effects of irregular migration on industrial development. Over 60 media and government community bureau personnel attended the event.  

In an opening remark, H.E Dr. Zerihun Kebede, State Minister of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, thanked the media for informing the community on issues related to migration and said, “in order to continue covering migration related issues more accurately, the media should know the pros and cons associated with migration.” He also highlighted the positive sides of regular migration, such as skills transfer and remittance and negative impacts of irregular migration including physical and psychosocial damage on citizens.    

Presenting the challenges, Ms. Liyunet Demsis, Senior Programme Assistant for IOM-SLO presented, among other issues, the common confusion in relation to migration terminologies, translating into local languages, and wrong perceptions while reporting. In this regard, the attendees commended the informative description and expressed how they have previously found it difficult to differentiate terminologies such as smuggling of people, human trafficking, migrant workers, Internally Displaced People, irregular and regular migration and the challenges reporting in the local languages.   

Speaking at the workshop, H.E Dr. Zerihun stated, the Government of Ethiopia is working hard to tackle the problems irregular migration by forming a national council which stretches down to district level. He further informed the audience that the Ethiopian government is making efforts to reintegrate the Ethiopian returnees from Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through different entrepreneurship skills training and micro financing plans in six months time. 

H.E Dr. Zerihun Kebede further explained two major challenges of irregular migration that directly impact the industrial development of the country: the loss of skilled manpower in agriculture, industry, and construction and victimization of Ethiopian nationals by smugglers and traffickers. According to his presentation, the source of the problem is not entirely unemployment, but also underemployment and choosing migration over working in the country.  

The suggestions for the media on how to contribute to the fight against irregular migration include constant media coverage on migration based on emerging trends, regular reporting on prosecution of cases of smugglers and traffickers. Further, it was stressed showing the local opportunities and sharing stories role models with exemplary accomplishment in the country in addition to promoting legal channels for potential migrant workers were also among the suggestions forwarded for the media. 

At the end of the workshop, in order to continue raising awareness on the problems of irregular migration, the attendees formed a committee that will see through the formation of a dedicated media forum on migration . IOM was given an observer status of the media forum where the Government and private media houses will be a member.

This media training was supported by the generous funding from Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).