CALLS FOR CREATIVE STORY PROPOSALS ON MIGRATION

Inter Press Service (IPS) news agency is inviting mid-career, print journalists to submit creative proposals for in-depth, investigative articles on Asian migration and its links to reproductive, sexual and emotional health, under its media project 'On the Asian Migration Trail'.

This project by IPS Asia-Pacific headquarters aims to encourage reportage, in both labour-sending and receiving countries, of the often underreported human aspects of migration within Asia and in other regions that host Asian labourers and migrants.

Often, host societies value the work that migrant workers give, but give little thought to the human beings behind that work, be they domestic workers, factory hands or seafarers. But the human cost they face is real -- difficulties in coping in alien lands, discrimination, rules that work against reproductive health, the difficulties of re-integration, and the breakdown of family structures.

This media project is by being undertaken by IPS (www.ipsnews.net) -- an international news agency that examines global issues and processes affecting peoples and nations especially in the South -- with the support of the Ford Foundation.

IPS Asia-Pacific is looking for story proposals of 500 words, explaining the thrust of the proposed article/s along the theme of migration and reproductive health/gender, indicating the places to be visited for interviews, and how the proposal would produce a human, well-rounded story that has different sources, and delves into an under-reported theme.

Story proposals may cover articles written by journalists from sending countries who travel to labour-receiving countries, and would involve an article/package of articles of at least 2,000 words. The project will provide for limited travel and writers will receive an honorarium.

The stories will run on the IPS World Service and be distributed to regional media organisations, and compiled in a special publication.

Proposals should include a brief biodata, two sample published stories and a letter of commitment from his or her editor/publisher, sent to:

IPS Asia-Pacific
P O Box 180, Dusit Post Office,
Dusit, Bangkok 10300
Thailand

Deadline for applications for the first batch of stories is November 10, 2002.

For more information, please write to ipsasia@ipsnews.net or ipsasia@loxinfo.co.th, call us at (66-2) 243-2300, or fax us at (66-2) 668 5090.