The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has called on journalists’ groups around the world to provide support to Peruvian journalists and their families who have been made homeless in the earthquake disaster which shook the country last week.
IFJ issued an appeal to its member unions Tuesday and sent an immediate 3,000 Euro from the Gustl Glattfelder Fund, a special fund aimed at supporting media victims of natural disasters named after the former German Vice President of the Federation and chair of the European Federation who died two years ago.
The National Association of Peruvian Journalists (ANP) appealed for international support as first reports revealed the impact of the earthquake on the lives of media people in the disaster zone around the town of Pisco, a remote district about 125 miles south of Lima, the capital. Around 500 people were killed when the earthquake struck last week.
“Our colleagues tell us that a number of journalists have been devastated by the earthquake,” said Jim Boumelha, IFJ President. “Their homes have been destroyed and their families are at severe risk.”
In a letter to its member unions, the IFJ has urged support for the victims through the Gustl Glattfelder Fund. “The disaster in Peru has struck the community hard and among the victims are local journalists who rely upon the solidarity of their colleagues at national and international level. We must do all we can to support them,” says the appeal.
IFJ says that a special fund to cope with natural disasters is an important addition to the support it provides through the IFJ Safety fund, which provides humanitarian aid to the people who are victims of violence because of their work in media.
The International News Safety Institute (INSI) has issued a safety alert for journalists covering the earthquake in Peru to help them deal with the potential trauma that can follow reporting from such a disaster.
