In September and October 2022, a series of training workshops was held for journalists entitled “Forced Internal Displacement in Northern Central America: Human Rights Based Coverage,” in which journalists from Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras participated.
The training was divided into three sessions:
Workshop #1: International human rights standards on human mobility and forced internal displacement.
Introduction to address international standards on mobility and, in particular, on forced internal displacement. A general conceptual overview was conveyed, as well as the definition of internally displaced persons, the obligations assumed by the state, and an analysis of case studies.
Workshop #2: Situation of forced internal displacement in northern Central America and a proposal for public policy.
Analysis of the situation of forced internal displacement in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras: structural causes, lack of up-to-date information, analysis of the state’s response; public policy proposal developed by civil society: challenges and opportunities; analysis of challenges and opportunities in the coverage of forced internal displacement.
Workshop #3: Coverage of forced internal displacement with a human rights focus.
Biases in the coverage of forced internal displacement; basic principles for coverage with a human rights perspective; the need to focus on gender, anti-racism, and intersectionality in coverage; presentation of final research proposals.
Also, a incentive was provided to each participating media outlet in order to develop investigations into forced internal displacement in their countries.
The aim of this workshop was to build tools and knowledge among Mesoamerican communications media to foster ethical and human rights based coverage around forced internal displacement in the countries of northern Central America, and to generate connections with media in the region and with allied actors in journalism.
