The media have a duty to highlight the problems faced by migrant workers, speakers told an international conference in Beijing today.

Veteran Bangladeshi TV journalist Humayun Choudhury said the media should carry out investigative reports tracing the journeys of migrant workers from start to finish, and highlighting any ill-treatment they suffered.

He was speaking at the Asia Media Summit, a two-day conference in Beijing that has brought together more than 600 people.

The CEO of the Voice of Nigeria, Abubakar Bobboyi Jijiwa, said the media had a responsibility to report wrongdoing by anyone involved: recruitment agencies, individuals or governments.

Guo Jia, National Project Officer of the International Labour Office (ILO) for China and Mongolia, said broadcasters could help bring about change by giving prominence to stories on the issue.

The President Director of Radio Republik Indonesia, Parni Hadi, called for more training for journalists on covering the problems faced by migrant workers.

The training should also be extended to community broadcasters, he said, because they had a key role in covering social issues on the ground.