AMMAN — Jordan on Monday hosted a consultative regional meeting on the media coverage of migrant workers organised by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in cooperation with Institut Panos Paris.
The meeting, held on the shores of the Dead Sea, gathered media executives, academic experts and representatives of civil society organisations from labour-exporting countries, according to a Labour Ministry statement.
Participants discussed the quality of information and media reports published on migrant workers in the Middle East.
Labour Ministry Secretary General Hamadah Abu Nijmeh said at the meeting that the region is currently going through unprecedented complications, especially with the large influx of Syrian refugees who have found their way into the host countries’ — including Jordan’s — labour sector, depriving the natives of job opportunities.
Thanking the ILO for its continuous cooperation with the ministry and for the attention it gives to Jordan, Abu Nijmeh said the Kingdom has maintained the presence of migrant workers in its labour market within a clear legal framework that safeguards their rights and the rights of their employers despite the current regional crisis.
The authorities, he added, seek to respect the rights of these guest workers without encroaching on the employment opportunities of Jordanians to ensure that the rate of unemployment in the Kingdom does not increase further.
The secretary general called for developing media content that develops a labour culture based on justice, equal opportunities and the rule of law.
Monday’s meeting was the first of a series within a project aimed at enhancing media coverage of migrant workers, according to the organisers.
