EKO HOT BLOG reports that the Nigerian Federal Government has introduced a new curriculum aimed at enhancing the knowledge of child rights reporting among journalists in the country.
The curriculum, which was presented by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, at a two-day media training organized by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), is designed to fill the knowledge gap on children’s rights for journalists and communications schools.
According to Mohammed, the new curriculum is expected to facilitate a paradigm shift in the way issues affecting children are reported, as it will expose journalists to the basic rights of children, including their rights to survival, development, protection, and participation.
He added that factual reporting of children’s rights issues would help to improve their visibility, encourage their protection, and promote their well-being.
The Chief of Field Office, UNICEF in Enugu, Juliet Chiluwe, also highlighted the crucial role of the media in communicating and ensuring the wider spread of information on issues related to the Child Rights Act.
She expressed concern over the broad range of abuses against children that result from ignorance of what constitutes their rights, adding that the media could play a significant role in addressing this issue.
Chiluwe also commended the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (NAU), Awka, Anambra State, for being the first institution to mainstream child rights curriculum by electing the Child Rights Reporting Curriculum (CRRC) as a general studies course.
The course is now compulsory for in-school mass communicators, which is expected to broaden their knowledge and exposure to child rights concerns, which are also topical concerns for human development.
The training program, which was attended by several journalists and media professionals, covered various aspects of child rights reporting, including ethical considerations, legal frameworks, and best practices for reporting on child rights issues.
The initiative has been hailed by child rights advocates and media professionals who believe that it will go a long way in improving the quality of reporting on child rights issues in Nigeria. It is hoped that this initiative will serve as a model for other institutions and organizations seeking to promote child rights in Nigeria and beyond.
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