Mafraq – A number of students from the Jordan Media Institute (JMI) paid a visit to Zaatari Refugee Camp as part of their practical training in covering stories related to refugees and human rights with the aim of preparing various news reports for print, audio and visual media platforms.
Upon their arrival, students were briefed about the living conditions in the Camp and about the services provided to refugees by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and the Refugee Affairs Directorate.
The students also learned about the role of said organizations and other partners including the Ministry of Interior and security forces in maintaining order and facilitating refugees’ day-to-day activities.
JMI faculty member, Dr. Sakher Khasawneh, commented that such visits are key for reporting news that comply with journalistic ethics and standards.
“The asylum issue and the changes in the Syrian crisis have raised questions about the voluntary return of refugees, development plans in Mafraq, the utilization of the Camp's current infrastructure services and the overall impact of this on local communities,” Khasawneh added.
JMI faculty member responsible for teaching writing and reporting, Dr. Salim Abdul Rahim, said that the purpose of the field visit was to give a better perspective about the Camp’s current living conditions, in order for the students to adopt an additional humane approach when reporting news of such nature.
Mona Abu Hammour, one of JMI students, spoke about her story which addresses the subject of child marriages. Abu Hammour began working on her story through the case of a 14-year-old Syrian girl who was married during her stay in the Camp and who is currently unable to return to her country because of a problem concerning the issuance of her identification papers. Supervised by Dr. Salim Abdul Rahim, Abu Hammour’s story will be published on www.jmijournalists.com (a website dedicated to JMI students’ work).
Zaatari Camp’s visit was attended by 29 students from the Master's program in Journalism and New Media, in addition to a number of JMI’s faculty members and supervisors.