UNICEF is among the most recognised social welfare organizations in the world.
By JOHN ONAH, Abuja –
The Child Rights Information Bureau (CRIB), of the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture in collaboration with UNICEF on Thursday in Enugu Kick start a two-day Training of Trainers (TOT), on the Presentation of New Curriculum for Child Rights in tertiary institutions.
The objective of the workshop was to equip the trainers of the journalism training institutions with the new curriculum for child rights reporting for tertiary institutions, expose the trainers to the concept of four baskets of rights; survival, development, protection and participation.
Declaring the training open, the Chief of Field Office, UNICEF Enugu, Mrs Juliet Chiluwe, Chief of Field Office, UNICEF Enugu, disclosed that Child Rights Reporting for mass communication students and a general studies module of the curriculum.
Nigeria’s Child Rights Act was assented to by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo in September 2003, and promulgated as the Child’s Rights Act 2003.
According to her, since then, UNICEF continued to partner with the media, communication institutions and other development partners in diverse ways to promote child’s rights and mainstream it in all core areas of working for children.
“Communicating children’s rights is a challenge. A broad range of abuses against children emanating from ignorance of what constitutes child’s right. This is where the media has a critical role to play and am proud to say that media remains UNICEF’s very close ally in ensuring wider information spread on issues of child rights”.
“This great opportunity helps to broaden the scope of knowledge and exposure of the communication students and practitioners of Mass Communication by way of infusion of the Child Rights concerns, which are also topical concerns for human development, she said.
She congratulated the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (NAU), Awka, Anambra State for taking this first step to further mainstream child rights curriculum, by electing the CRRC as a general studies course, making it compulsory for in-school mass communicators.
Chiluwe urged other partnering Universities and communication institutions to emulate the feat as recorded by NAU in the interest of fostering child rights reportage in Nigeria.
On her part, the Head, Advocacy (CRIB), Mercy Megwa, commended UNICEF for it’s continued partnership and commitment towards Child Rights in Nigeria.
Megwa who was represented at the event by her deputy, Zika Zakka disclosed that over the years, UNICEF has exposed journalists to reporting Children rights in Nigeria
Speaking at a two-day trainers programme, on the Child Rights curriculum in Enugu, UNICEF Chief of Field Office, Enugu, Juliet Chiluwe, noted that Child’s Rights Reporting Curriculum (CRRC) for tertiary institutions became imperative because communicating children’s rights was challenging.
According to her, a broad range of abuse against children emanates from ignorance of what constitutes a child’s right.
“This great opportunity helps to broaden the scope of knowledge and exposure of the communication students and practitioners of Mass Communication by infusion of the Child Rights concerns, which are also topical concerns for human development.”
Also, On his part, Dr Jide Johnson, a veteran journalist, said children constitute half of the population in most developing countries and are more vulnerable to poverty and abuse.
In a chat with newsmen, Johnson said Nigeria had its Child Rights Act (2003), and children’s rights must be defined in society so that they are protected, and their voices are heard on issues that affect them.
“We must provide an environment for them to survive, develop, and achieve. We are here to advocate for these rights to be recognised and for the duty-bearers like caregivers to understand the responsibilities they have to ensure that rights are complied with by all stakeholders in our society.”
According to him, knowledge of the curriculum and its factual reporting will expose children to their rights to survival, development, protection and participation.
“It is not just to recognise the child’s rights but to also ensure that the duty bearers and caregivers are to understand the responsibility they have in ensuring that these rights are complied with by all the major stakeholders in our society and that’s why we are here.
“Journalists are still agents, teachers in various institutions, in sociology, in mass communication and the law profession to understand that as the agent of social change, we have a role to play in letting people know what these rights are so that they can be compliant and adhere to these rights by all critical stakeholders.
“Already teaching this as a course at the Polytechnic level, we have succeeded in mainstreaming it as a general study course for all students”.
