Workshop for journalists to report on forced labour issues

PESHAWAR: Experts at a workshop on Wednesday called for equipping journalists with requisite skills to effectively report on forced labour and other related issues.

The International Labour Organisation ILO had organised the two-day training workshop for journalists in collaboration with the US Department of Labour (USDOL) under the auspices of the BRIDGE project.

The BRIDGE project is an initiative aimed at eradicating forced labour and promoting equitable labour practices by equipping journalists with knowledge to enable them to report on forced labour and fair recruitment issues.

A diverse cohort of 30 journalists representing print, electronic, radio, and digital media participated in the workshop.Speaking on the occasion, the experts said that forced labour, a crime under Pakistani law and a grave violation of human rights according to the International Labour Organization (ILO), continued to plague estimated more than 3.5 million individuals in Pakistan.

They also shed light on the vulnerability of migrant workers, who were three times more likely to fall into forced labour compared to non-migrants. The experts said that over 6.5 million Pakistanis sought employment abroad through legal channels in the last decade, predominantly in Gulf Cooperation Council countries such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Dr Faisal Iqbal, the national project coordinator at ILO, emphasised the pivotal role of media in raising public awareness about forced labour and advocating for fair recruitment practices.“Media can be key influencers in shaping public perceptions about forced labour and labour migration,” Dr Iqbal remarked, expressing concern over the prevalence of forced labour in Pakistan affecting an estimated 3.4 million individuals.

Dr Iqbal elucidated the objectives and significance of “The Bridge Project,” emphasising the importance of accurate reporting on forced labour and fair recruitment. He delineated the 11 indicators recognised by the ILO globally to identify forced labor, including abuse of authority, deception, movement restrictions, isolation, physical and sexual violence, wage retention, debt bondage, abusive working and living conditions, and excessive overtime.

Journalists Aoun Sahi and Sabooh Syed led comprehensive training sessions during the workshop, delving into various aspects of forced labor and labor migration.Sahi underscored the role of media in story identification, pitching, data collection, and effective storytelling across different platforms. Emphasising the importance of a rights-based and gender-sensitive approach, Sahi highlighted the significance of humanising the narratives surrounding forced labor and fair recruitment, while adhering to ethical considerations, particularly when interviewing survivors.

Insights from an ILO report titled “Profits and Poverty: The Economics of Forced Labour,” issued in March 2024, were also shared during the workshop. The report revealed staggering figures, indicating annual costs and profits of forced labour globally amounting to $236 billion. With 3.5 out of every thousand individuals worldwide involved in forced labor, industries, services, and agriculture emerged as the top three sectors affected.

The workshop culminated with participants demonstrating keen interest and active engagement in discussions, group work, and practical exercises, reflecting a collective commitment to combat and cover forced labour and promoting fair recruitment practices in Pakistan.