Friday, 17 December 2010

MEDIA HAS FAILED THE CHILDREN, SAYS CHILD RIGHTS ACTIVIST

By Globe reporter
The Zambian media has failed the children in its coverage of the past elections, says Media Network on Child rights and Development (MNCRD) chairperson Felistus Chipako.
In her statement to announce the launch of the national media conference on reporting children, Chipako observed that although the coverage of children stories had increased in the last two years, most of it depicted children as victims or perpetrators of violence.
“The children are shown in conditions of vulnerability and poverty, while stories of achievements and working interventions around the country are not projected,” said Chipako.
Chipako said MNCRD would during the conference engage editors and senior reporters from community and national media houses to ensure that they prioritise child rights in their editorial policies.
She explained that MNCRD had organised the national conference on reporting children to enable journalists learn how to sharpen their reporting skills on issues affecting children and media ethics.
 Chipako said the conference, which would be held at Lusaka’s Cosmic lodge between December 17 and 18, would focus on among other things, increased coverage of positive stories of children in the country.
She said the conference would also prepare journalists to incorporate children issues in the coverage as the country moved towards the 2011 presidential and general elections.
“The media will be encouraged to engage politicians on what they will do for the children if they were elected into their respective offices,” she said.
Chipako said the conference would be officially launched by Sports, Youth and Child development minister Kenneth Chipungu.
Zambia has ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) of the United Nations General Assembly and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC).
This entails that, as one of the state parties, Zambia should ensure that child rights are disseminated through the print and electronic media. The CRC, which is the most widely ratified convention in the world, also calls upon state parties to give children access to the media. The African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child also gives mandate to state parties under the African Union to give children space in the media.
“Zambia, being a signatory to the treaties, should encourage all media houses to focus on child rights to help rid the country of poverty, disease and depravation in the future,” Chipako said.

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