A Communication expert, Mr Onche Odeh, has called on development partners and international organisations to support media practitioners to conduct independent stories on child related issues.
Odeh made the appeal on Tuesday in Lagos during a media dialogue on the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) at 30, jointly organised by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Child Rights Information Bureau (CRIB) of the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture.
Presenting a paper on“Bridging journalists skills gap for enhanced child rights media advocacy”, Odeh described reporting issues on child rights as “complex”.
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He emphasised that if the media really needed to do an indepth report that could engender change on issues regarding violation of children’s rights it required adequate resources which most media organisations do not have.
He further stressed the need for adequate training of media professionals on technical skills and adaptability that would enable them do such report that could impact positively on the life and well-being of the Nigerian child.
He decried poor remuneration of in the country, dearth of working tools, challenge of credible sources and inadequate training, among others, compared to their global counterparts who effectively execute their duties.
The consultant described the media as “a critical player” in the realisation of CRC among other policies of government regarding child protection and well-being through in-depth reportage of the convention and implications of non-implementation.
He explained that the stride could only be achieved if media professionals are empowered both intellectually and financially.
“Journalists must have improved knowledge, better technical skills, empowered and fired passion for child rights issues,” he said.
According to him, journalists must imbibe child interview skills, techniques and ethics which most journalists are lacking at the moment.
He identified the benefits of supporting media on effective reportage on child rights issues to UNICEF and government, among others, to include better planning, more reliable feedback, highly reduced erroneous margin in reportage.
“The United Nations CRC is a human right treaty that sets out the civil, political, economic, social, health and cultural rights of children to which the Nigerian government was signatory. (NAN)
