09 Jun 2014

Media houses have been urged to report responsibly when dealing with issues that concern refugees,

The permanent secretary in the Ministry of Defence, Justice and Security, Mr Augustine Makgonatsotlhe made the appeal at a two-day workshop for journalists organised by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Gaborone.

He said media houses should not mount pressure on people who were  already in distress such as refugees. He said unbalanced and inaccurate stories by some media houses had affected the level of support from donor agencies and other stakeholders that cared for refugees.

Mr Makgonatsotlhe said with Botswana now classified as a middle income, journalists should play an advocacy role by writing appropriate stories about the voiceless and disempowered people who come to seek refuge in the country.

“The media should be sensitive with regards to assisting people in distress, they are here because of circumstances,” he said. He said the UNHCR offices and his ministry were open for journalists to get the facts right rather than rush to print.

The UNHCR chief of mission, Mr Shana Kaninda said the media were responsible for assisting governments in finding solutions of asylum seekers and refugees. He said his organisation was not political and focuses in social and humanitarian assistance to people seeking refuge in different countries around the world.

The workshop was the second to be held in Botswana, and was one of a series of workshops that were held around the continent to assist the media to be conversant with issues relating to asylum seekers and refugees. Ends