Lack of recreational facilities in schools, violation of child’s right – Media expert * As UNICEF, FG task journalists on ethical reporting, child’s right protection

Lack of recreational facilities in schools, violation of child’s right – Media expert

* As UNICEF, FG task journalists on ethical reporting, child’s right protection

By Steve Oko

Lack of recreational facilities in schools has been described as a gross violation of child’s right which should bo longer be tolerated.

Director, Special Programmes, Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ), Lagos, Dr Jide Johnson, stated this while delivering a lecture at a two-day training
on ethical reporting and child rights organised in Port Harcourt, Rivers State for select media practitioners from South East, South South and North Central geo-political zones.

This is as the Federal Government, and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), which organised the training, have tasked media practitioners on ethical reporting and child’s rights protection.

Dr Johnson who identified private school proprietors as major violators of this right, urged the Ministry of Education to address the ugly trend.

Highlighting the role of sports in the physical and mental development of a child, the media expert noted that lack of recreational facilities in schools “drastically impedes the growth and development of a child”.

” This is a denial to children’s rights; it is unfair to the Nigerian child”, he lamented.

He explained that exposing children to sporting activities early in life help them to develop their careers in sports but regretted that children in most private schools are denied such rights.

Recalling his childhood experiences, he said:“When we were growing up in the 70s and 80s, we were exposed to different types of sports, especially in the primary and secondary schools.

“But today, a building that is not up to a classroom in our days is used either as a primary or secondary school without recourse to the recreational facilities for the children”, he regretted.

Stressing that children’s rights are not a privilege by anybody “but their fundamental inheritance”, Dr Johnson charged media practitioners to rise in defence of children’s rights.

Speaking at the event, UNICEF Country Representative, Wafaa Saeed said the media had the power “to amplify the children’s voices, highlight their struggles”, and to bring them to the attention of the relevant authorities for solutions.

Describing the training as very crucial considering the critical role of the media play in shaping public perception and eliciting actions, UNICEF restated its commitment to capacity building for media practitioners.

The UNICEF boss who was represented by the Chief of Port Harcourt Field Office, Dr Anslem Audu, said “ethical reporting builds trust and heals division.”

“Children are not miniature adults, they are vulnerable, their minds are impressionable, and their futures are shaped by how we represent them, ” Saeed said.

He highlighted the critical role of the media in shaping public perception and influencing the well-being of children.

UNICEF cautioned journalists to be mindful of the lasting impacts of their reports on children and to avoid such reports that could hurt them.

” Ethical reporting builds trust, heals divisions, and protects the vulnerable, prioritizing children’s best interests and their right to a future free from shame and harm.”

“Ethical reporting on children is not just a moral obligation but a culture to safe guarding their future”, he said, while urging journalists to refrain from stories capable to hurting the future of a child even when such a child erred.

UNICEF Communication Specialists, Dr Ijeoma Onuoha-Ogwe; and Susan Akila, respectively, acknowledged the role of the media as “change agents and voice of the voiceless.”

According to them, media practitioners have a lot to do in championing the cause of children who are often not heard by society.

They tasked participants to imbibe modern trends and attitude in their reportage on issues affecting children.

Earlier in an opening remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, Mr Ogbodo Chinasa Nnam said the training was designed to help media practitioners “reflect on their ethical obligations, explore best practices for reporting on children’s issues, and strengthen their understanding of child rights as enshrined in national laws and international conventions.”

The aim of the training, according to him, is to build a media culture that protects children’s identities; amplify their voices responsibly; and upholds the highest ethical standards

He acknowledged the vital role of the media “in shaping public understanding; influencing attitudes; and protecting the most vulnerable members of our society especially our children.”

The Permanent Secretary who was represented by the Assistant Director/Head, Child Rights Information Bureau (CRIB), Mr Falayi Temitoye, urged the media to help expose violations of children’s rights.

He also urged journalists to report with integrity, sensitivity, and respect for human dignity.

“When it comes to stories involving children, your responsibility becomes even greater. Every image, every word, and every frame we publish can have lasting consequences on a child’s life, safety, and future, ” he said.

One of the resource persons, Lekan Sote, in a lecture titled, “Balancing Public Interest with Child Protection”, urged media practitioners not to identify minors as victims or suspects in sensitive issues like drug abuse, crime, rape, among others, but to tactfully conceal their identities and images.

He said that if images must be used, they should be Artificial Intelligence, AI-generated or blurred images taken from behind.

Sote also advised against unnecessary details capable of hurting or stigmatizing the minor.

Some of the participants including Emmanuel Ugwu of Thisday; and the Abia State Correspondent of Daily Independent, Mr Uche Nwosu, expressed delight over the training, and pledged to be more engaged in child’s rights protection.