Perspective of Nepalese Media towards Refugee Rights Situation in Nepal: Prospects and Challenges

Nepali media, both independent and government-run, though have been engaged in various issues related to refugee situation in Nepal, have not yet fully succeeded to providing information in an unbiased, neutral and well-informed manner especially about the reporting of refugee and asylum seekers related issues in the mainstream media. It is felt that media can play pivotal role in generating awareness among the public and create pressure on pertinent issues related to refugee protection in Nepal. Keeping this in view with the objectives to sensitizing journalists on using media for the protection of human rights of refugees; to increase the skills and knowledge of journalists involved in news media that accord greater understanding, sensitivity and high priority to refugee issues reporting; to improve the quality of reporting and to share ideas and experiences of media people engaged in refugee issues an half day Media Workshop was organized in Kathmandu on 19 June 2015 ahead of World Refugee Day. In a situation when most of the issues related to refugees are portrayed from the perspective of political and national security rather than humanitarian and human rights perspective the program focused on improving unbiased reporting of refugee related issues.

The workshop also help create a robust, independent media reporting in refugee situation, through intensive dialogue with journalists in the techniques and principles of accurate and impartial news reporting and editing with special emphasis on refugees and asylum seekers in the situation of legal and policy vacuum. The program looked at issues surrounding social, political, geo-political and economic factors related to refugees. In the program more than 20 participants from Kantipur Daily, The Kathmandu Post Daily, The Rising Nepal, Anadolu News Agency, Sagarmatha Television, and freelancers including the representatives from I/NGOs working for refugees participated.