Advance child rights broadcasts, Vusumuzi Sifile courts media

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By Derrick Sinjela

As southern African countries joined the rest of the world in commemorating the International Children’s Day of Broadcasting (ICDB) on Sunday, 6^th March, 2022, Panos Institute Southern Africa (PSAf) Executive Director Vusumuzi Sifile called on broadcasters in the region to feature more content by and about children, sensitizing the masses on the need to end violence against Children.

 

The ICDB is commemorated every first Sunday of March annually, as a way of encouraging broadcasters across the world to raise awareness on issues affecting children. With the 2022 ICDB themed “Ending Violence Against Children Through Safe Media”.

 

Mr. Sifile says 2022  ICDB commemoration comes at a time when many children in Southern Africa and the world over are facing various challenges including violence, exploitation and other forms of abuse which have continued to impact on their mental and physical well-being negatively.

 

“The interconnection brought about by the internet has also contributed massively to the harm that children around the world are facing. There is a growing tendency by some sections of society to abuse internet based platforms to violate the rights of children. Children’s experiences are no longer confined to their bedroom doors, classroom walls, or the borders of their nation because as the internet’s reach grows every day, the number of children at risk of online sexual exploitation and other forms of abuse multiplies,” grieved Sifile read a Press Statement circulated by PSAf Programme Assistant Mirriam N  Chabala.

Article 13 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) confers on every child “the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek,

receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of the child’s choice”.

And Article 17 of the Convention states that: “States Parties recognize the important function performed by the mass media and shall ensure that the child has access to information and material from a diversity of national and international sources, especially those aimed at the promotion of his or her social, spiritual and moral well-being and physical and mental health.”

Sifile views the ICDB commemoration as an opportunity for the global media and owners to contribute to the realisation of these holistic aspirations for children, young people and women.

“The media must intensify the production and dissemination of more content that advances protection of children online and offline. The traditional and online media need to share more content promoting child safety, child protection policies and practices in schools and increased awareness of parents, which is essential to prevent abuse of children in schools, homes, and communities,” advised Sifile.

Sifile believes that once the media provides safe spaces for children to speak out and ensure their protection against any forms of violence, young people will ultimately contribute to global policy discussions on child protection against violence, online safety and ensure investments in children have a broad impact for many years to come.

Sifile reiterated a call on the media in the SADC region and beyond to work with various state and non-state stakeholders to ensure that children are protected against violence through making the broadcasting platforms and newsrooms a safe space for children’s views.