FG moves to boost knowledge of child rights reporting for journalists

The Federal Government of Nigeria has presented a new curriculum on Child Rights Reporting for Polytechnics in Nigeria for effective dissemination of information by the media.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed at a two-day media training organised by the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF said the instructional guide was developed to fill the knowledge gap on children’s rights for journalists and communications schools.

Mohammed said the new curriculum ”will facilitate the movement of all journalists from the present level of Child Rights awareness to a certain degree of knowledge bringing about the needed paradigm shift in reporting issues as it affects children.”

He said knowledge of the curriculum and its factual reporting will expose children to their rights to survival, development, protection and participation.

Meanwhile, the Chief of Field Office, UNICEF in Enugu, Juliet Chiluwe said communicating children’s rights remains a challenge considering the broad range of abuses against children as a result of ignorance of what constitutes the rights of children.

She said the media reserves a critical role in communicating and ensuring the wider spread of information on issues of the Child Rights Act.

”I am proud to say that the media remains UNICEF’s very close ally in ensuring the wider spread of information on issues of children’s rights.

”Let me also use this opportunity to congratulate the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (NAU), Awka, Anambra State for taking the first step to mainstream child rights curriculum, by electing the CRRC as a general studies course, making it compulsory for in-school mass communicators.

”This great opportunity will help 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