Delivering his remarks on the global and regional perspective on the role of the media in reporting children’s issues, UNICEF Botswana Deputy Representative, Dr Kimanzi Muthengi said they are a UN-mandated organisation that works with children. Muthengi said the media holds an influence to pressurise lawmakers to make child-friendly policies. “This training is an opportunity to reflect on how journalists can report on children without causing harm,” he said. According to Muthengi, there are many challenges that the media faces in reporting children’s issues, some of them being a lack of access to information. He added that for cases that involve abuse of children and judicial cases, there should be respect for the right to privacy.
He stated that above this, journalists should obtain informed consent when covering children’s stories, for instance, interviews and photographs and that the media should not hurt and/or avoid reporting that could result in any harm to children. However, he stated that the training will explore practical solutions to these barriers. He noted the need to prioritise children’s best interests. Additionally, he rallied the media to empower children's voices. To this end, journalists were capacitated on ethical reporting on children's rights, utilising data/research to tell children's stories and how the media could serve to bridge the gap in advancing child-like narratives, which are often neglected/ignored. Sharing similar sentiments, the head of policy and programmes at the British High Commission, Bakang Ntshingane, stated that they have collaborated with UNICEF to advance the child agenda post-COVID-19 pandemic. Ntshingane said COVID-19 brought the sad realities of children globally. “Violation of children’s rights occur around the world,” he said.
