Every year thousands of people risk their lives each year looking for a better life elsewhere using irregular migration channels. In response, IOM has scaled up awareness-raising campaigns about the risks of irregular migration. These information campaigns to increase migrants’ awareness of the dangers of irregular migration, and promote regular migration pathways and local livelihood opportunities.

Yet, there is limited empirical evidence on the impact and effectiveness of these awareness-raising campaigns. Additionally, there are concerns about the validity of the assumptions underpinning these campaigns, particularly regarding how migrants make decisions.

Do the campaign assumptions reflect how migrants make migration decisions? What is the effect of information on migration risk attitudes?

In this webinar, the IOM Global Migration Data Analysis Center (GMDAC) will present two reports examining the impact of two information campaigns in Ethiopia and West Africa. The first campaign, “Migrants as Messengers,” was implemented in Guinea, Nigeria, Senegal and The Gambia by empowering returned migrant volunteers to share honest accounts of their migration experiences with their communities and families. The second campaign, “Community Conversations” was implemented in Ethiopia. In this campaign, IOM engaged influential local leaders (teachers, religious leaders, and youth and women's groups) in community forums.