Urwicz , who holds a bachelor’s degree in communication with a concentration in journalism, was the Uruguayan winner in the print media category for his article“Persecuted in Their Own Country, Refugees in Uruguay,” published in the newspaper El País. A total of 167 participants entered the contest, from which 27 finalists were chosen; among them, one winner was selected per participating country (except for Paraguay and Bolivia, where no prizes were awarded). In addition, a journalist from Argentina and another from Brazil received honorable mentions.
On March 16, 2018, a training session and discussion was held in Buenos Aires for the contest winners, focusing on human rights-based journalism coverage of migration.
This contest aims to raise awareness of an issue that is relevant in Uruguay, one that is often overlooked but will be a key topic in the future.
What is the essay you wrote about?
Most refugees are fleeing economic or political persecution, but the range of reasons goes beyond that. Sometimes it has to do with climate-related factors, for example. Another reason is religious persecution. In Uruguay, sexual persecution is extremely rare.
This story focuses on the case of “Alejo” (a pseudonym), a Russian citizen who was imprisoned for being gay. He could not live openly as a gay man in Russia, and while searching online, he discovered that Uruguay’s laws regarding sexual identity and same-sex marriage were progressive, so he decided to emigrate and seek asylum in Uruguay.
How did you meet Alejo?
Through sources connected to immigration agencies. In these cases, sources may include NGOs working on the issue, academia, and the State Department.
I found out that Alejo existed, and once I had that information, I began building trust with people in the know and NGOs that work with vulnerable members of the LGBTIQ community in an effort to locate him.
Once I tracked him down, we met at a restaurant to conduct the interview. Since he was no longer being pursued, but his partner was (who is still in Russia), we agreed with his partner to provide as little information as possible.
Almost no one in Russia knows who his partner is, not even his family. Although the interviewee used a pseudonym, he agreed to have his photo published.
What were the other winning entries about?
There were others who approached the issue of persecution from different angles. There were those who spoke positively about migrants. It often happens that people fear what is foreign to them or blame it for everything. The newcomer is seen as the cause of all evils. There are no jobs because of the Venezuelans, the Dominicans, the Cubans. Statistically speaking, if you look at the data, the opposite is actually true: in general, the positive contribution of migration is greater, especially in a country with a small population like Uruguay.
There were also reports on data journalism that addressed the contribution of migrants and how the crime statistics don’t actually align with the fact that most offenders are foreigners, or how the rise in unemployment isn’t due to the arrival of foreigners. There were reports on that, as well as on the displacement of children traveling alone without their mothers or single mothers. Some of them were more focused on television.
What topics were covered in the training session/discussion?
The seminar was a great opportunity for networking, finding sources elsewhere, and trying to build cooperative networks. In fact, as a new development, part of this involves us—the journalists who participated—setting up the first South American network of migration journalists.
The seminar focused extensively on the myths surrounding migrants today; there was considerable discussion of the migration phenomenon from Venezuela, where migrants are heading, and how it actually affects each of the different countries in percentage terms.
The discussion focused on journalistic ethics. For example, whether one should mention a person’s nationality when reporting on a crime. Take the case of Chilean gangs exploiting ATMs in Uruguay: was the newsworthy aspect that they were Chilean, or was it the method of the crime?
Another point of discussion was the issue of gender-inclusive language. Some people believed that the experiences of a migrant boy differ from those of a migrant girl, and therefore we should refer to “boys and girls” or “everyone,” while others argued against using “boys and girls” or other gender-inclusive terms.