By Joy Odor
Journalists for Christ(JFC) has unveiled a publication titled ‘Silent Cries’ that has find several infraction of right abuse, dehumanization housing conditions, malnutrition, gender base and sexual violence, hunger and starvation against Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Nigeria.
The Reviewer of the ‘Silent Cries’, Mr. Seun Akioye and a Development Communication Expert, who made this known in Abuja on Saturday informed that the publication summarize the highlights of special media reports of the pains, hopes and aspirations of IDPs in Nigeria.
He mentioned that the dehumanization housing conditions of IDPs found themselves shows total complete lack of access to education to the children, and zero access to health care.
According to him, the publication is an initiative to advance the rights and welfare of IDPs in Nigeria through media monitoring and investigative journalism driven,
Akioye opined that to document these experience, JFC has trained, support and funded 20 journalists across media mainstream to report executively situations of IDPs, saying the results are the unveiling of the silent cries.
He affirmed that silent cries according to JFC would be an instrumental in driving policy actions to advance the welfare of IDPs, especially instrumental stakeholders such as governments in all levels.
The Silent Cries Reviewer called on Nigeria media to continue to investigate and report IDPs situations that would bring a change to their conditions.
“There are different types of cries but the most heart-breaking of all is the silent one. This project is all about thinking about the people, the stories written were enlightening and we hope that today will not be the last day of interacting with the IDPs. We want you to take it up from here and do more reporting of the IDPs.
“The publication is a compendium of the experiences of fellow Nigerians, who few years ago were living normal lives like every other Nigerian, but today find themselves in unfavourable places, not bargained for.
“The media should continue to highlight issues and bring to the fore concerns of persons affected by hostilities and conflicts, especially on the provision of welfare amenities, facilities and safe shelter as part of the media’s social obligations to society; CSO should demand investigation of abuses and prosecution of infractions like rape, assaults and corruption perpetrated against IDPs.
“Anybody can become an IDP, so we need to fight now to make the situation of IDPs better,” he said.
Introducing earlier ‘Silent Cries, Project Advisor of JFC, Mr. Sanmi Falobi narrated that the
publication was to bring the unheard voices of the IDPs to the front burner, to see how to further expand the scope for their voices to be heard by those that matter and are responsible for improving their welfare.
He emphasize that ‘Silent Cries’ is a story of IDPs told by themselves, using the instrumentality of media friends with 20 stories emanating from the journalists trained.
Contributing, the Secretary, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) FCT Council, Mr. Ochiaka Ugwu opined that compassionate journalism is the in-thing and enjoined journalists to involve more in compassionate reporting of the people orinated issues that doing public relations (PR).
